Suburban Man Attacks Homecoming Kids Over Toilet Papering

It’s that time of year again in Illinois.

Homecoming, football games, bonfires, Halloween approaching, and of course, toilet paper hanging from trees.

TPing somebody’s house has been a teenage tradition seemingly since toilet paper was invented (it actually started in the late 1950s). But there's a difference between an annoying prank and a crime, and a recent incident in Channahon is a pretty good example of where things can go very, very wrong.

According to Channahon police, a group of juveniles was toilet-papering a home there on Monday night during Homecoming week. Police say the homeowner, 50-year-old Terrence Davisson, confronted the group, and one of the juveniles ended up with a facial injury after allegedly being struck in the face with a blunt object. Davisson was arrested and charged with aggravated battery.

a pile of white toilet paper sitting next to each other

Which Brings Us Back To The Question: Is Toilet Papering Legal Or Illegal In Illinois?

The answer depends on some things. There is no Illinois statute that specifically says, “Thou shalt not TP thy neighbor's house.”

But Illinois law does make it a crime to knowingly damage someone else's property without consent. That's called criminal damage to property under Section 21-1 of the Illinois Criminal Code.

So if you're a teenager thinking, “It's just toilet paper! What's the big deal?” The answer depends on what you're actually doing.

If you throw a few rolls into somebody's tree and the homeowner can easily clean it up, you're not automatically guilty of a statewide crime simply because toilet paper is hanging from a branch.

But climb onto someone's property without permission, damage landscaping, break something, stain a house, damage a roof, or otherwise cause property damage, and you've potentially moved well beyond the harmless-prank category. Illinois courts have upheld criminal-damage convictions involving relatively modest property damage.

Mike Zarrilli, Getty Images

There Is An Important Lesson Here

Don't respond to teenage stupidity with adult violence.

Last year's toilet-papering season produced a similar Joliet-area incident in which police said a homeowner confronted teenagers, followed their vehicle and used a baseball bat to damage their car.

So kids, Maybe don't TP somebody's house. And homeowners, maybe don't beat up the kids who do.

There has to be a middle ground between “Happy Homecoming!” and “See you in court.”