By Shereen Siewert
Days before an iconic Wausau restaurant’s slated closure, a Weston man is accused of causing thousands of dollars in damage to the building in a late-night incident this week, police said.
Angelo’s Pizza Villa, 1206 N. Sixth St., will close its doors Sunday after more than 50 years serving the Wausau area. Now, they’re cleaning up a mess that police say was created when 48-year-old Paul Kreft threw a large chunk of concrete through the main door before breaking more glass, reaching through the open area and unlocking the deadbolt. After hesitating for a moment, Kreft then left the restaurant on foot, according to a criminal complaint. A burglar alarm alerted police at about 11:15 p.m. June 1, court documents state.
The vandalism happened less than three hours after Kreft was arrested at Kelly Club, 4810 Ross Ave., when officers were dispatched to a report of a disorderly patron who refused to leave the property. Prior to police arriving, Kreft allegedly became belligerent, insulted employees, broke a beer glass and left without paying his bill.
At Kelly Club just after 8:30 p.m., police confronted Kreft, who appeared to be under the influence but denied any wrongdoing. Kreft then demanded officers contact unnamed police officials and assistant district attorneys and said, “we run this town,” according to the incident report. No calls were made.
Police say Kreft stated numerous times that he would be placing phone calls to ensure the responding officers lost their jobs.
“Kreft was quite intoxicated during this incident and investigation,” the Everest Metro Police Dept. incident report reads. “He repeatedly asked the same questions and made the same statements.”
Ultimately, Kreft was arrested on disorderly conduct charges and released on a $150 signature bond, and ordered not to commit any new crimes.
Then, according to court documents, he eventually made his way to Angelo’s.
Kreft was identified through surveillance video at the restaurant, court documents state. Police went to his home to question him the same evening but he refused to answer the door.
The next day, police returned to Kreft’s home, where he allegedly said he did not remember any of the events of the previous evening due to his “level of intoxication.” Kreft said he does not recall causing the damage.
Kreft faces charges filed June 3 in Marathon County Circuit Court of criminal damage to property and bail jumping in connection with the incident at Angelo’s and disorderly conduct charges connected to his alleged behavior at Kelly Club. During an initial appearance Friday, Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill ordered Kreft to have no contact with either business. He is also ordered to avoid bars, taverns, liquor stores and beer tents and maintain absolute sobriety with no possession of alcohol.
Kreft, who is free on a $500 signature bond, has a pretrial conference June 24. The damage at Angelo’s is estimated at more than $2,500.
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