A New York man has been charged with felonious criminal mischief for bulldozing his own wife’s home without her consent or knowledge.
James Rhein rented an excavator Monday and demolished the Middletown house, but police said he failed to notify the homeowner – his wife.
Records show Diane Andryshak, not Rhein, is listed as the sole owner of the property, which her husband rented, and police said he failed to obtain her permission before destroying the 840-square-foot, three-bedroom ranch home.
“He bulldozed all her clothes in there — washer, dryer, furnace, hot water heater, everything was still in there. In fact, her medication was still in there.” said neighbor Steve Belfiglio, who described Rhein as a “loose cannon.”
Rhein also neglected to obtain proper permits or call utility companies to shut off gas and electric service, which had to be turned off by emergency crews to prevent an explosion or fire.
“He could have blew the block up, I suppose,” Belfiglio said.
Rhein said the home was dilapidated and its foundation was crumbling from years of disrepair, so he decided to tear it down.
He claims he tried to obtain a demolition permit but was unable because the office was closed for the federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
“So I took it down, that’s it,” Rhein said.
He claims he tried to call his wife to notify her of his intention, but she didn’t answer her phone.
This, ladies and gentleman, is 14kt domestic struggle.
Peep the before and after pictures of the house in the slideshow below.
