Wisconsin SWAT Deploys Armored Vehicle to Collect Civil Judgment from 75-Year-Old Man

Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel

"People may not always understand why, but an armored vehicle is almost a necessity now."

In other words, we're appalled at the militarization of civil authority because we're just stupid. That's what these pigs think of you and me.

When officials in the tiny Town of Stettin in Marathon County went to collect a civil judgment from 75-year-old Roger Hoeppner this month, they sent 24 armed officers.

And an armored military vehicle.

In 2008, the town sued Hoeppner over claimed violations of ordinances about zoning, signs, rubbish and vehicles. About a year later, the two sides settled; Hoeppner was supposed to clean up his property, and the town was supposed to open discussions about its zoning.

The town felt Hoeppner had not complied, and it brought a motion for contempt and enforcement. In September 2010, a judge ordered Hoeppner to remove certain items from his land.

The following May, the judge found Hoeppner had still not complied and authorized the town to seize assets. In the summer of 2011, the town hauled away several tractors, pallets, equipment and other items and auctioned them off for "pennies on the dollar," according to Lister.

But the dispute wasn't over. In April 2013, the judge entered a final judgment that imposed a $500-a-day fine against Hoeppner for not adhering to the original May 2011 order, and granting the town's legal fees.

Hoeppner appealed, but lost in a March ruling. So by Oct. 2, he owed the town about $80,000, according to court records, and the Town of Stettin obtained a writ of execution to collect — without notice to Hoeppner or his attorneys, they say.

Obviously a dangerous, slovenly heathen of a terrorist warranting a platoon of stormtroopers and combat vehicles.

Marathon County sheriff's officials aren't apologizing for their tactics. Sheriff's Capt. Greg Bean said officials expected to have to seize and remove tractors and wooden pallets to pay the judgment — hence the cadre of deputies. He also said what while Hoeppner was never considered dangerous, he was known to be argumentative.

Hoeppner said when he noticed deputies outside his house, he called his attorney, Ryan Lister of Wausau. Lister said he quickly left for Hoeppner's house but was stopped by a roadblock that was kept up until after his client had been taken away in handcuffs. "Rather than provide Mr. Hoeppner or his counsel notice...and attempt to collect without spending thousands of taxpayer dollars on the military-style maneuvers, the town unilaterally decided to enforce its civil judgment" with a show of force, Lister said.

Bean said deputies had to handcuff Hoeppner because he was not following all their instructions, but did eventually agree to pay the $80,000 judgment after a visit to a bank — accompanied by deputies.

Bean also said the armored truck was summoned only after Hoeppner initially refused to come out of his house. Once the truck appeared, so did Hoeppner.

"I've been involved in about five standoff situations where, as soon as the MARV showed up, the person gives up," saving time, money and increasing safety, Bean said.

He's basically saying that military equipment and tactics scare the public into submission very efficiently. Their goals and methods are so completely transparent it's outrageous.

I guess we should all get used to a new order of debt collection. If they did this to a grumpy old man, they'd probably call in drone strikes on some of us here...

a reply to: NthOther

The slipperly slope to a police state could not be summed up any clearer than this story right here!

a reply to: elementalgrove

Guess we're not looking at the slope anymore we're falling down it, tumbling head over heel as we go. All I can't wonder now is what is waiting for us at the bottom, I know it won't be a lolly pop and a band-aid.

a reply to: NthOther
Another possible reason is the Armoured Vehicle is still under warranty,
Most specialty Internal security/military manufactures of these Vehicles have a pre tender condition in the warranty that the vehicles run a certain amount off mileage/Km or service/warranty issues are void.

a reply to: NthOther

What a freakin' joke! This bean guy must be compensating for a lack of something to use military equipment to scare people. And that judge needs to be barred. that's absolutely ridiculous that it went that far over equipment and zoning procedures.

a reply to: NthOther

This is just over compensation for what they lack elsewhere.
Or they were filming reality military fetish porn.
Either way, this is a gross perversion.

a reply to: elementalgrove

I wish people would stop mentioning that old slippery slope. We've slipped. The slope is behind us and our asses are muddy.

We need a shower. De-lousing, even.

The city needed that money for candy.

On one hand, the gentleman made agreements that he didn't abide by. It is hard for me to feel sorry for someone who agrees to something, then tries to back out of it.

On the other hand, keep in mind that no matter how minor the violation is, "authority" is authorized to kill you if you do not comply. Our parents/grandparents gave them that authority. And you/I continue to support it.

It was all about show of force. which is a damned shame. But the dude absolutely should reconsider agreeing to do something then trying to back out of it. That makes him a weasel.

a reply to: Hushabye

i wish people would stop mentioning the slipper slope, because it is a logical fallacy.

100 bucks says his signs were of a religious nature. I can't believe they escorted him to the bank to get their money. The police are the new mafia.

originally posted by: elementalgrove
a reply to: NthOther

The slipperly slope to a police state could not be summed up any clearer than this story right here!

I have to play devils advocate here. Sounds to me like the guy is a douche, and the county was forced into action.

After reading more into this story, he was given many chances to comply. He chose to be a hard arse for no reason but to be a (phallus)(penis for the vocabularily challenged) about the whole situation.

Look if you want to have a billion pallets and assorted junk, get land where it is legal.

If you do this in an unauthorized place, there is a reason you cant. Like it making your neighbors $250,000 property now worth maybe $100,000. This is simple to understand. You cant screw everyone else over because you want to be a douche....seems easy enough to understand to me.

BTW I am 99.9999% of the time against this BS.

It just seems this time, the guy is actually just a douche.

a reply to: NthOther

What better way to steal, I mean seize, 80 grand from an elderly man? Send in the derp platoon!

a reply to: NthOther

I looked for the guys property on the earth map...
if I found the right location, dude lives in rural farmland where his closest neighbor is acres away.

Maybe the county has to go out of their way to force revenue?
To keep military-grade vehicles fueled-up for the next strong-armed robbery of civil assets?

a judge ordered Hoeppner to remove certain items from his land

It happens . A few years ago here they did that then tore the house down after they removed everything then took the guys land. Of course when the landowner from Chicago showed up for the weekend he was more than a little upset seems they were about a mile off on their address. Nearly a million buck offer later the county didn't bother to apologize they figure they would paid enough but they didn't because the property was worth more than that. Final settlement was $2.5 mill plus lawyer fees.

a reply to: oblvion

I don't think many will disagree that the man is in the wrong, I certainly won't. That isn't really the point though, the issue is the police showed up like they're about to assault Fallujah instead of enforce a court order on a 70 something year old man.

The issue is the increasingly aggressive and militaristic behavior of law enforcement across the United States that is creating a chasm as wide and as deep as the Grand Canyon between them and the public. We have gone from a philosophy of community policing through positive interaction to a philosophy of an occupier seeking to subjugate a population through brute force and the leveraging of fear.

The guy got into a pissing contest and lost. He should have paid his taxs or abided by zoning laws and he would have been fine. In the past their have been people like this who have had stand offs with police, and then gone nutty shooting, or having hidden explosives /booby traps on their property.....at least no one got hurt or killed. The guy probably doesn't even vote ,but then wines about the laws.

Its just more of the ongoing message..don't f___ with us, reinforce, make a big scectacle of it, reinforce, make no mistake there is an us vs them mentality..very much like gangs and organized crime groups..its like they are itching to provoke a reaction.

originally posted by: Meldionne1
The guy got into a pissing contest and lost. He should have paid his taxs or abided by zoning laws and he would have been fine. In the past their have been people like this who have had stand offs with police, and then gone nutty shooting, or having hidden explosives /booby traps on their property.....at least no one got hurt or killed. The guy probably doesn't even vote ,but then wines about the laws.

Well, whether or not someone votes is a poor litmus test. Choosing not to vote can also be known as "civil disobedience".

a reply to: oblvion

And he could have been sorted out by a couple of ordinary cops in a squad car not a freaking army!

Jesus, you guys. Just because he didn't pay his bills doesn't mean you send a friggin "tank" to his house.

Yes. He did not pay his bills. We're not supposed to live in a country that sends paramilitary to your house when you don't pay your bills.

But now we do, apparently. And it's the people who make excuses for the government who led us here. There is no justification for this.

Except to scare the s# out of the people. A public display of unnecessary, overwhelming force. Just in case anyone gets any bright ideas about not paying their bills.

It's disgusting.