Disgruntled employee threw stones into the trash can at the women’s center, causing $30,000 in damage
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – A Milwaukee women’s center dedicated to helping victims of trafficking in need after its office was broken into and destroyed.
A disgruntled employee broke in Converged Resource Center and move the location to the trash. That suspect is still on the run.
The CEO, Dr Debbie Lassiter said that she was the original target, and when they could not reach her, they destroyed the office. “If they could have reached us, we could have been injured.”
Dr. Lassiter said that the group had ice and other weapons. “I can tell you we’ve been in business for almost 20 years and we’ve never seen anything like this.”
Unable to reach the women, the group destroyed computers, security systems, televisions, gadgets and furniture. Estimated cost of damage: $25,000-$30,000.
Dr. Lassiter said, “We really had no idea other than rampage. Police believe it was planned.”
Founded in 2004, this nonprofit works with victims of human trafficking and women released from custody. They help thousands of women rebuild and recover from trauma, for free.
The disgruntled employee was also a customer they had worked with for more than two years. Dr. Lassiter said the center was holding an item belonging to the suspect, and they thought it would not be returned. “Actually, as she was driving up, I was phoning her. To let her know we’ve got permission from the attorneys to return the items.”
But that was not enough to stop the suspect.
Dr. Lassiter said, “Five minutes from now this is probably never going to happen, but the amount of rage we’re seeing here, this doesn’t really mean anything to a person that we are. been helping all this time.”
It read in part: “Because of our commitment to survivors and their journey, it’s imperative that we keep our doors open. train our customers.”
Dr. Lassiter said, “If the community wants to help us, we’ve been serving the community all this time and we just hope they can help us now.”
She says that the center’s files are secure because they are stored in the cloud and they are not accessed.
The MPD said it knew the suspect and was asking for any information.
