TRAVERSE CITY — A man who deputies believe thoroughly trashed a Whitewater Township home while on drugs and alcohol faces felony charges.
James Jeffery Hatton, 23, is charged with second-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of between $1,000 and $20,000 of personal property. He was arraigned July 6 and remains in jail.
Grand Traverse sheriff's deputies said Hatton smashed doors, mirrors, lamps, dishes, a television and much more inside an Elk Lake Road home on July 1. He also poured beer and wine on the carpet in several rooms.
Deputies arrived about 9 p.m. after a neighbor reported seeing Hatton break into the unoccupied home. Deputies chased and eventually arrested Hatton, who according to reports ran from the home in jeans shorts and a sleeveless fur coat.
They took him to the hospital, where a drug screen allegedly showed alcohol and opiates. Hatton told them a friend drove him to the residence of another friend, who lives near the home he broke into. He told deputies he didn't know the house's owner and had "no clue" why he did it.
"Hatton stated ... the last thing he remembers is cracking open a bottle of booze and pouring a drink," a deputy wrote in a report.
A deputy who observed him breaking items inside the home said "it looked like he knew what he was doing" when he smashed items and ran from deputies.
Hatton, who has an extensive criminal history, is on probation after retail fraud and drug-related convictions, reports indicate. A preliminary examination, held to determine if there is enough evidence to send a case to trial, is set for July 20 on the new charges.
The homeowner was downstate at the time. Deputies asked her to compile a list of everything damaged so a restitution amount can be determined.
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James Jeffery Hatton
Man who allegedly trashed home faces charges
Doors, lamps, TV were smashed, wine poured on carpeting
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