Man ‘seriously beaten’ on 500 block of State Street

Madison Police Department officers arrested Jason Buttchen, 29, for alleged second-degree reckless endangerment Wednesday night after he beat another man on the 500 block of State Street. Both men were homeless.

The 36-year-old victim was “seriously beaten” after he refused to move off of another homeless man’s items while both “hung out” on State Street, according to an MPD incident report.

“A passerby told police the suspect delivered a series of punches to the victim's head,” MPD Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain wrote in the report. “‘He was defenseless and was on the ground, and the guy kicked him in the face,’ said the shocked witness, who was on her way home after finishing a work shift at an area restaurant.”

According to the report, the kick rendered the victim unconscious but Buttchen continued delivering more punches to the head. A surveillance camera in the area caught the entire incident. MPD called the victim’s injuries “non life-threatening, yet significant head injuries.”