Wisconsin Man Allegedly Tries To Break Into Bathroom Stall With 13-Year-Old Girl Inside, Thwarted By Bystander

A Wisconsin man allegedly tried to break into a bathroom stall where a 13-year-old girl was inside but was thwarted by a Good Samaritan, WBAY-TV (Green Bay) is reporting.

Richard Schwantes, 60, is facing a variety of charges following the Thursday incident. Police say that Schwantes had been hanging around in the women’s restroom at an unidentified business in Green Bay. A 13-year-old girl, apparently unaware of Schwantes, went into the restroom. Police say that Schwantes started talking to the girl, asking her if she wanted to come with him and telling her she was “very pretty.” The girl tried to leave the bathroom to get away from him, but he allegedly blocked the bathroom door to attempt to prevent her from leaving.

The girl went into a stall to get away from Schwantes, who allegedly began trying to open the stall door. The girl managed to lock the stall door, but Schwantes allegedly started trying to reach underneath the stall door to attempt to unlock it.

There are conflicting reports about what happened next. According to WBAY, the victim’s mother came into the bathroom, followed by store employees, who escorted him out. However, according to The Miami Herald, it was another woman who was in the restroom who came to the young lady’s aid and shoved Schwantes out of the room.

Regardless, the victim was so terrified that she stayed in the stall until Schwantes was well out of sight, according to the police report of the incident.

When police arrived, they found Schwantes, with whom Green Bay cops are apparently familiar, hanging out in the women’s swimsuits area.

“I asked Richard to drop the swimsuits and come speak with me and he continued walking away from me. I grabbed Richard’s arm and attempted to remove the swim suits form his hand and he had a tight grip on the suits.”

Eventually, the officer managed to get Schwantes into custody and take him downtown. He’s been charged with false imprisonment and disorderly conduct. What’s more, the charges were listed as “repeaters,” meaning that the suspect had been charged with those crimes before.

In a news release, Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith reminded parents that the Green Bay police have their back when it comes to kids.

“When incidents like this occur, it affects every parent. Incidents of this nature that involve our youth are unacceptable and we will do everything we can to protect and ensure the safety of all our youth in our community.”