By Brandi Makuski

A Stevens Point man has been charged after employees at a downtown bank say he made a bizarre deposit — the body of a dead cat.

Justin Doppsmith, 37, was arrested for the incident on June 5, and only after a sidewalk standoff with police.

According to the criminal complaint, Doppsmith stuffed a loaf of bread and a dollar bill wrapped around a rock — along with the carcass — into the overnight deposit box at about 8:20 AM.

The cat “had been dead for some time”, according to the complaint. It was not immediately clear how Doppsmith came into possession of the carcass.

The teller who unloaded the night depository was reportedly “very disturbed” by the incident, and told police Doppsmith had placed unusual items in the night deposit box before, which was confirmed by the bank’s video surveillance.

Police located Doppsmith later that day as he was walking near Briggs and Rogers streets. An officer approached Doppsmith to attempt asking about his alleged actions at the bank, but Doppsmith walked away from the officer, and continued walking away after he was ordered to stop.

Doppsmith stopped only after the officer grabbed his backpack, then explained to the officer he was “trying to cleanse the bank from fraud” by placing the items in the depository. He then claimed the officer had no authority over the situation because “he was not a game warden”.

He then became agitated and began to yell; the officer’s repeated attempts to calm Doppsmith were reportedly unsuccessful. Doppsmith then took a fighting stance and glanced up at the officer in a threatening manner, at which point the officer told Doppsmith he was being placed under arrest for resisting an officer.

Doppsmith continued to resist, backing away from the officer and yelling loudly. He then removed his backpack and charged the officer with his fists clenched. He ignored the officer’s taser warnings and was eventually tased.

But the taser proved ineffective on Doppsmith, so the officer deployed his pepper spray, which was also ineffective, according to the complaint. Doppsmith then ran away from the officer, but eventually fell into a “crouched position”, when the officer was finally able to secure him with handcuffs.

Doppsmith also spat on the officer during the encounter, according to the complaint. EMS was called to the scene, and Doppsmith was medically cleared for transport to the police station.

Doppsmith also faces a charge of arson after a May 22 incident, when he allegedly lit a spruce tree on fire outside the Salvation Army Hope Center.

According to that criminal complaint, Doppsmith told an employee at the center he’d lit the tree on fire “in order to help the tree molt”.

When asked about the fire, Doppsmith told the employee that his reason for starting the fire had something to do with jellyfish. Concerned by that response, the employee called police.

It was reportedly the second known fire Doppsmith had started at the center.

Doppsmith was released on a $500 cash bond for the latter charge on June 2. He pleaded not guilty to arson of property other than building, a Class I felony which carries a maximum charge of three-and-a-half years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Charges stemming from the bank incident include bail-jumping, disorderly conduct, resisting an officer and discharging bodily fluids at a public safety worker. All together, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and more than $30,000 in fines.

Doppsmith is being held on a $1500 cash bond. His next court date was not immediately available.