Window Cleaning Wars + A Lucky Escape

Man charged with shooting out competitor's window: The owner of a Madison window cleaning business was charged Thursday with shooting out the window of a competitor he thought was trying to steal a client. Paul R. Obbink, 45, owner of Bink’s Window Cleaning, is charged with discharging a firearm from a vehicle, a felony. According to a criminal complaint, Obbink admitted to police that on Jan. 23, he used a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with birdshot to shoot out the window of Madison Window Cleaning, 210 Dickinson St.
The complaint also states Obbink told police that one of his clients had been contacted by another window cleaning company in an attempt to take over the account, and that a Madison Window Cleaning vehicle had reportedly been seen near that business around the same time.
Obbink told police he mistakenly assumed Madison Window Cleaning was trying to steal business from him and first called the business and left a message. He said he then drove to the business, climbed into the passenger seat of his truck and fired the shotgun at the window.
"I shouldn’t have done that," Obbinki told police. "Rage sort of took over." He told police he believed the business was closed at the time and that no one was inside, saying, "I did not go there to hurt anyone." Kash Weger, who owns Madison Window Cleaning with his wife, Tanya, said no one was in the building at the time. Weger said his business did not attempt to take Obbink’s client, and the vehicle reportedly seen near the client’s business was not theirs.

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Window washer falls four stories, survives: A window washer on Milwaukee's east side tumbled four stories to the pavement Thursday morning and survived. The man was washing windows outside an apartment building in the 1900 block of N. Water St. around 9:30 a.m. when he plunged to the sidewalk. He was wearing a harness and working with another window washer when he fell. "It looked like he was one lucky guy," said Milwaukee Fire Lt. Randy Leach. The man remained conscious and was taken to Froedtert Hospital for non life-threatening injuries.