A 30-year-old man admitted Monday that he dropped dumbbells, furniture and other items from his ninth-floor balcony onto vehicles passing by his downtown apartment building, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Michael B. Judy, 30, pleaded guilty in Hennepin County District Court to felony first-degree property damage for allegedly aiming an array of heavy objects at vehicles driving by the building in early January in the 300 block of S. Washington Avenue. None of the items injured anyone, but multiple vehicles were damaged, charges noted.
The plea agreement between the defense and the prosecution calls for three years of probation and for him to be sentenced under what is called a stay of imposition. That means the conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor if he successfully complies with the terms of his sentence and probation.
Judy remains free on bond ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for Feb. 12.
"It appeared to officers that [Judy] was purposely targeting vehicles below as they passed on the street and would wait to throw the items until a vehicle was approaching," the criminal complaint read. "Officers have serious safety concerns as [the] apartment ... is approximately 115 feet up, and a weighted object falling from that distance could lead to a risk of great bodily harm or death to passing motorists, [a] bicyclist or pedestrians."
The incidents came as Judy was facing eviction for failing to pay more than $11,000 in rent since he moved into his unit in July 2022. Court records show he was evicted in late January.
According to the charges:
Five calls were made to 911 from Jan. 3 to Jan. 5 about dumbbell weights among various large objects being dropped from an apartment balcony.
