Standoff long over but broken house remains

Nearly three months after Fredonia resident Matthew Novak held authorities at bay for 38 hours, his house — broken by battering rams, tear gas canisters and a water cannon — still stands at 139 Fox Glen Dr., an eyesore at best, a reminder of the terror he inflicted on the neighborhood at worst.

Wood framing erected on the front of the house so authorities could search the house after Novak’s arrest helps hold it up, and while the first floor windows and door are boarded up, there are large holes in the second story. The garage door is stuck open and the unkept lawn is mostly weeds.

Yellow caution tape still spans the driveway.

Fredonia officials have heard from  residents in the neighborhood and they too want the house repaired or razed, but Village Administrator Christophe Jenkins said this week there is only so much the village can do.

“We’ve been in contact with his (Novak’s) parents, but there’s only so much they can do,” Jenkins said. 

Meanwhile, Novak sits in the Ozaukee County jail, held there in lieu of $1 million bail while awaiting trial on six felonies stemming from the May standoff.

Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Sandy Williams had been scheduled on Wednesday, Aug. 6, to determine if Novak is competent to stand trial.

As Novak’s criminal case works its way through court, the village is considering its options, one of which is removing debris and weeds from Novak’s yard and charging him for the work, Jenkins said. 

But that may be all it can do because the house is not in danger of falling down, he said. 

“Our building inspector went through it  and determined it’s structurally sound, despite how it looks,” Jenkins said. “To issue a raze order, you need probable cause, and the fact that it’s structurally sound complicates that.”

The village’s hope is that Novak’s mortgage lender and insurance company will step in to deal with the house.

“I know the mortgage company has been notified and I suspect they will contact the insurance company,” Jenkins said. “If I have a crystal ball, I’ll bet he (Novak) will eventually not be able to make payments and the mortgage company will repossess it.

“It’s a difficult situation and I understand the community’s concerns, but this is a tough thing to navigate.”

Those left to look at Novak’s house are the residents who were told to shelter in place or were escorted from their homes by authorities as Novak fired guns, including high-powered rifles, from his house beginning on May 8, according to authorities.

Novak, 37, who was arrested after being flushed from his house by a water cannon and shot with a bean bag on May 10, is charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety, failure to comply with an officer’s attempt to arrest him, intentionally pointing a firearm at an officer and three counts of threatening officers.

According to a complaint, an Ozaukee County sheriff’s deputy responded to the report of loud music and gunfire in the area of Novak’s house at 8:36 p.m. Thursday, May 8. Other deputies arrived to canvas the area, and at 10:14 p.m. one of them called Novak to ask if he was playing the music. Novak replied, “Oh yes, absolutely,” adding that he was also shooting guns and having a good time.

Novak also said, “So, I’m going to play some music, and if anyone comes around I shoot” before ending the call, the complaint states.

Officers left the area but returned after receiving a 911 call from a Fredonia resident who reported hearing a gunshot. At 10:58 p.m., deputies heard gunshots coming from the direction of Novak’s home.

Surveillance video from a neighbor’s home recorded as many as 100 gunshots coming from Novak’s house, including two bursts of 25 to 30 rounds, each in less than six seconds, according to the complaint.

A deputy launched a drone equipped with a camera and saw a man shooting a handgun and rifle from the back patio of Novak’s house.

During Novak’s bail hearing on May 27, Ozaukee County District Attorney Benjamin Lindsay said Novak used photos of Democratic governors as shooting targets in his yard.

The Ozaukee County Special Response Team arrived at around 11:30 p.m., informed Novak he was under arrest and ordered him to leave his house, which Novak refused to do.

During a phone conversation with negotiators, Novak said he was armed with a handgun and rifle, made one of several references to having automatic guns, mentioned using drugs such as LSD, cocaine and marijuana and said he was ready to shoot. During other conversations with officers, Novak said he took “lots of LSD” as well as heroin, the complaint states.

Novak threatened to kill officers, made reference to having an AK-47 assault rifle and told a negotiator he had a rifle aimed “at your head with night vision,” according the complaint. 

Early Friday morning, May 9, a Saukville police officer saw Novak wearing night vision goggles and pointing a rifle at an armored vehicle occupied by officers, the complaint states.

At 4:39 a.m., authorities flew a drone into the house through the patio door and saw a rifle with a bipod on the kitchen counter before the drone became disabled. Another drone was flown into the house, providing video that showed several guns in the house before Novak knocked it down using a blanket.

At one point, Novak blocked his phone number, but authorities obtained a new number for him and during an expletive-riddled conversation with one deputy Novak said, “I got your children’s names and your wife. People die if you shoot more pepper gas ...,” according to the complaint.

Ozaukee County Sheriff Christy Knowles said in May that authorities, who knocked holes in Novak’s home so they could see him holed up on the second floor, eventually used an unmanned fire hose to blast him.

Novak later told officers that he had no intention of leaving his house and was willing to die there until he got cold from being sprayed with water, the complaint states.

At 10:47 a.m. Saturday, May 10, Novak came down the stairs and stood in the front doorway. He ignored the commands of officers and instead flipped them off. He was eventually shot in the leg with a “less lethal” beanbag round and arrested.

Novak, who Lindsay said repeatedly expressed disdain for law enforcement officers and the federal government, told authorities after his arrest that he wanted to die a martyr and was upset that the standoff was covered only by local news outlets, not the national media, according to the complaint.

During his May 27 bail hearing, Novak appeared via video from the jail, and throughout much of it he gestured dramatically, at one point flipping off the camera. He appeared to be screaming, but his microphone was muted.