A Jefferson City man was ordered to serve 90 days in the Cole County Jail for pleading guilty to an amended charge in connection with damaging Dulle-Hamilton Towers in August.
During a hearing before Cole County Associate Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe, Donnie Bell, 28, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor second-degree property damage. Prosecutors amended the charge down from felony first-degree property damage. Bell was given credit for time served.
A Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement stated maintenance officials were called to Dulle Tower on Jackson Street after a large glass window had been shattered on the ninth-floor vestibule. Workers came and boarded up the window.
A couple of hours later, a fire alarm at Hamilton Tower was reported. No fire was found, but firefighters discovered a large amount of water and flooding throughout the building. It was determined a pressure gauge had been broken off the water supply for the sprinkler system on the ninth floor. The flooding caused several issues including flooding of apartments, damage to electrical wiring, drywall ceiling collapsing and the evacuation of residents. Authorities said there would be possible "long term displacement of residents during the restoration."
As the flooding was being addressed, police were called for a disturbance at Hamilton where a witness reported someone was hitting a metal object on the floor and keeping people awake. Authorities later identified the person as Bell whom the witness also said was roaming halls, partially disrobed and acting strange.
Officers went to the apartment Bell was reported to have been in and found him non-verbal and unresponsive to questions. He was eventually taken for a mental evaluation. A search of the apartment found a metal shower rod that had been broken in two pieces and there was a significant amount of water in the apartment with the bathroom ceiling collapsed. A portion of a cellophane bag was also reported to have been found in the bedroom, which authorities believed was consistent with narcotic packaging.
Housing Authority officials reviewed video from the apartment complexes, which reportedly showed a man running into the window at Dulle and breaking it. A witness claimed it was Bell. Bell's clothing appeared to be wet in the video. Fire officials confirmed the possibility the damage to the water system at Hamilton took place earlier than the alarm indication, and time could have elapsed before the department was notified. The amount of damage caused by the water throughout the building suggested water flowed for an extended period.
After being evaluated at the hospital, Bell was taken into custody and taken to JCPD for an interview. During that interview, Bell admitted to causing damage to the sprinkler water system and the plate-glass window.