Police arrested James Rhein as he used a rented bulldozer to destroy the home. Neighbors say Rhein used the dozer to load the scrap, including his wife's clothes, in a dumpster. The Times-Herald Record reports Diane Andryshak, who lived with Rhein, is the official owner of the home.
She wasn’t happy.
"She was in the middle of the road screaming, her house, what happened to her house," they told NBC New York.
The city was upset too. Rhein didn’t shut off the water, sewer, electric, or gas, causing a dangerous situation for anyone nearby. The utilities were disabled after emergency calls were made.
News 12 reports Rhein complained, saying the structure "needed to come down." Even so, his escapade of destruction will cost him.
Rhein faces charges of not having proper permits, and second-degree criminal mischief, a felony. The dozer dude told cops he tried to get a permit, but city hall was closed for Martin Luther King Jr. day.
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