
The 41-year-old Janesville man accused of causing more than $2,500 in damage to merchandise in the “Pride” section at the Janesville Target store is bound over for trial.
Brett Banister appeared in Rock County Court this week where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing on a charge of felony criminal damage to property.
According to the criminal complaint Janesville Police were called to the retail store on Humes Road in May of 2023 after a middle-aged man entered the store, spray painted LGBTQ+ items, and left on a bike.
The case went unsolved until February of this year, when Banister’s estranged wife told police that she saw him leave his home on Midvale Drive that day riding his daughter’s pink and purple bicycle that had cards in the spokes.
The witness said Banister dumped the young girl’s bike before returning home, and that he committed the crime because he doesn’t agree with the LGBTQ+ community, and he was angry at Target for displaying the items where his children could see them.
Banister is currently being held in the Rock County Jail on a $500 cash bond.