GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A Green Bay man is due back in court this month for allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home, punching her and stealing her wallet.
28-year-old Terrelle Tatum is charged with five counts including, battery, theft and criminal damage to property.
According to the criminal complaint, Green Bay police were called on April 7 around 9:20 a.m. to a home in the 1100 block of Smith Street for a report of a burglary.
The officer arrived to find a woman with swelling under one of her eyes and on the verge of tears. She showed the cop the front door, which was damaged at the deadbolt. The hasp on the door jamb was also bent and damaged, while the bolt was bent and rendered ineffective.
The victim explained that around 7:30 a.m. she was lying in bed in the front room when she heard someone pounding on the front door. She immediately knew it was, “Terrelle”, remained quiet and refused to go to the door.
She told the officer that Terrelle is her ex-boyfriend and that she’s having problems with him, “Destroying her things and entering her house.” The pounding on the door stopped, but then the door flew open.
The complaint states that Terrelle jumped on her and began yelling about another guy. He began to punch her in the face. She tried reaching for her phone and wallet, but Terrelle snatched the wallet and went out the front door.
She tried to close the door, but it was too damaged to secure. The victim saw him coming back toward the house from the road and she ran out the back door and drove to a friend’s house. That friend convinced her to call police.
Terrelle Tatum previously had broken a rear window to her house when she wasn’t home, and would text her about being there messing things up. She returned that time to find the broken window and TV screen. The victim had been reluctant to contact police for fear that he knows her car, where she lives and would be labeled a “snitch”.
On April 20, Terrelle Tatum was booked into the Brown County Jail where he remains. Tatum is due back in court May 31 for his final pre-trial hearing. If convicted on all counts, Tatum faces more than 3 years in prison.
