A Phoenix firefighter faces charges after reportedly causing extensive damage to not one but two homes, amidst separate disputes with homeowners. Gregory Knauss, a 17-year veteran of the Phoenix Fire Department, has been implicated in instances of vandalism in Phoenix and Peoria that have collectively surpassed $30,000 in costs.
On Feb. 27, Knauss was first taken into custody under allegations of damaging a home in Peoria and threatening the homeowner via text. According to court documents, "I know where you live and where you work. If you don't think I will destroy your life, I don't think you know who I am," Knauss menacingly texted the Peoria victim, as reported by 12News. This assertion comes after a home in Peoria was left waterlogged after Knauss allegedly sealed the plumbing with spray foam.
However, Knauss now stands accused of a similar act of vandalism from Sept. 2020 against a fellow Phoenix neighborhood resident. The homeowner alleged Knauss trespassed and injected foam into a drainpipe, prompting a sewage backup and damage to the property, including the poisoning of vegetation – an event costing over $5,000 in repairs. Court documents, as highlighted by 12News, bring to light how this incident followed a failed attempt by Knauss to build a carport, sparking a dispute over the alignment of property boundaries.
Consequently, Knauss was again arrested on March 21 after a man from Phoenix brought forward accusations tying him to the 2020 vandalism. "A tan Toyota Tacoma seen in videos of the Phoenix damage matched a truck that is currently registered to Knauss," described in the documentation detailed by 12 News. As a result of these allegations, Knauss now faces charges of third-degree burglary and multiple counts of criminal damage.
Knauss has a documented history of previous encounters with law enforcement, spanning offenses including public sexual indecency, extreme DUI, selling stolen property, stealing a car, and forgery, as per court records detailed by 12News. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 5 for a status conference, with a preliminary hearing following on April 9 for the Phoenix-related charges.
The havoc wreaked in Peoria featured the drilling of holes into a victim's roof and flooding caused by foam obstructing the plumbing, an action that purportedly extended to the city's sewer system, as gleaned from another 12News report. This incident spiraled from personal grievances, where Knauss was accused of romantic involvement with the girlfriend of the Peoria homeowner.
After this series of events and arrests, Knauss has been mandated to wear an ankle monitor leading up to his forthcoming legal proceedings, with the trial for the Peoria case primed to begin on August 8.
