Homeless man charged with burglarizing Eau Claire day care twice

Andrew Dowd, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·3 min read

Dec. 28—EAU CLAIRE — A homeless man faces numerous charges for breaking into an Eau Claire day care center twice this week and stealing thousands of dollars of electronics.

Michael R. Phillippi, 23, of Eau Claire, has been charged with five felonies and two misdemeanors tied to burglaries reported on Monday and Tuesday at KinderCare, 2115 Fairfax St.

Eau Claire County Judge John Manydeeds set cash bond at $5,000 for Phillippi's release during his initial appearance in court on Wednesday. Phillippi was in Eau Claire County Jail on Wednesday and appeared in court via videoconference, according to online court records.

According to the criminal complaint:

A plow truck driver who clears snow for Fairfax Street businesses called police early on Monday(Dec. 26) after noticing a door at KinderCare was propped open and a gate had also been unlocked. There were also footprints in the snow behind the building.

Eau Claire police officers verbally identified themselves before entering the day care building and doing a search. They didn't find anyone inside, but located an arrest card with Phillippi's name on it. Orange needle caps, shards of a crystal substance and bottles of orange juice and coffee were found in a bathroom. A lighter was also found on the floor in the infant room. Police collected the items as evidence and secured the building.

KinderCare employees later told police that a dozen iPads, three computers, a computer mouse, a speaker, a Wi-Fi router, three gasoline cards and keys for two vehicles were missing from the center.

Before entering the building on Tuesday morning, the center's director called police to check for people inside as the locks had not yet been changed since the previous day's break-in.

Officers did not find anyone inside the building, but noticed that two exterior doors were unlocked. A ceiling tile moved out of place, a stocking cap left behind and torn packaging from a set of walkie-talkies also indicated that someone had been there after hours.

KinderCare staff told police on Tuesday that walkie-talkies, a charger for them and another iPad were now missing from the building.

While on patrol Tuesday morning, an officer spotted Phillippi walking through a parking lot on Brackett Avenue, only a few blocks from the KinderCare.

Phillippi approached the officer's squad car and agreed to talk. He told the officer that he'd been staying at a nearby hotel for Christmas, but also spent time inside a car wash and unlocked storage units in the area to keep warm.

During the conversation with the police officer, Phillippi said that he does sometime blacks out when he uses drugs, so he could've broken into other places but didn't remember doing so.

The officer told Phillippi there were thefts reported in the area. Phillippi let the officer search his backpack.

Several sets of keys, smart switches, a router, a walkie-talkie with charger, electrical cords and a mobile Wi-Fi device were among items the officer found in the backpack. A bag of marijuana was also found.

When asked about where he got the electronics, Phillippi eventually responded they were stolen, but he wasn't the one who had done the stealing.

After a while, the officer asked Phillippi if he'd broken into KinderCare. The man replied "no."

Then the officer asked what was likely stolen from KinderCare, and Phillippi responded "tablets."

The officer then arrested Phillippi.

When a detective brought items from Phillippi's backpack to KinderCare for identification, employees said numerous sets of keys — including one labeled "playground" — were from the day care center, as well as the Wi-Fi device and walkie-talkie.

Police went to the hotel where Phillippi said he'd stayed over Christmas. The hotel manager said an iPad had been found in the parking lot and none of the guests had reported it as theirs. A label on the device confirmed it was from KinderCare.

One of the hotel's guests also told police that Phillippi had sold him a lockbox. KinderCare staff identified the lockbox and it was returned to them.