Local News Briefs Monday 4/28/14

Fond du Lac Police say a 62-year-old Fond du Lac woman was hurt in a two-vehicle accident at Arndt and Seymour Streets last Thursday. Martha Goodman told police she was suffering from injuries after the accident. Police say her car collided with a vehicle driven by 21-year-old Eric Buhler also of Fond du Lac. There were no witnesses to the accident. Both drivers told police they stopped before they went into the intersection. No one was cited for the mishap.

Jury Finds FDL Man Not Guilty Of Sexual Assault Charge

Fond du Lac County jurors recently found a 35-year-old Fond du Lac man not guilty of sexually assaulting a child. The trial for Garrett Toney concluded with that verdict last Wednesday afternoon. Toney was facing a 1st degree sexual assault of a child charge. The trial lasted three days.

Vehicle Hits FDL Apartment Building

Police in Fond du Lac are looking for someone who hit an apartment building with their car last Thursday afternoon then left the scene. Polie say the accident happened at the Security Drive Apartments. No one was hurt in the incident. Witnesses described the vehicle as being a newer four-door vehicle. It was silver or gray in color. Anyone with information should call the Crime Alert number at 322-3740.

South Main Street Closure Tuesday At 15th Street

Fond du Lac’s Public Works Department informs us that South Main Street will be closed at the 15th Street intersection for underground utility installation. The intersection will be closed starting tomorrow and will be closed about a week while the work is being performed. Drivers are urged to follow the posted detour route using 9th Street, South Park Avenue and East Pioneer Road.

FDL School Board Preview

A portion of the Fond du Lac School Board’s meeting this afternoon will have to do with organizational efforts. Fond du Lac County Judge Peter Grimm will administer the Oath of Office to recently re-elected members Julie Nett and Mark Strand. The board will then elect its officers for the year. Also during the meeting the board will consider compensations for its members. Currently the board president gets $1,800 a year and the other members $1,600. The meeting is at 5 p.m. in the District Administration Center Board Room

New Police Dog Joining FDL Police Department Soon

Much fanfare proceeded the retirement of Fond du Lac Police dog Grendel, but his successor will have to earn that type of respect. Assistant Police Chief Steve Klein says Grendel and his partner Officer Ryan Williams were inspirations to the department and the community when they recovered from critical wounds in the same shooting incident that claimed the life of Officer Craig Birkholz three years ago. He says Officer Charles Beckford and Police Dog Ronnie will soon be patrolling the streets. Klein once was also partnered with a police dog and he says it’s a good opportunity for an officer. He says police dog Ronnie like Grendel has been trained to sniff out drugs. Officer Williams and Grendel were teamed up together for eight years.

New FDL County Highway Garage In FDL Will Take A Few Years

Fond du Lac County Highway Commissioner Tom Janke says it is still a couple years out, but the County will be building a new highway garage in Fond du Lac. He says the current facility on Dixie Street was originally built in the 1920s and wasn’t meant to house today’s type of equipment. Currently the Highway Committee is going through a facility study looking at budgetary items. Janke says they have decided not to remodel the current garage after taking a long look at that possibility. He says they are now considering two options one that would involve building on the existing site or building on a new site.This past week County officials held a ground breaking ceremony for a new highway garage that will be built in the Campbellsport Industrial Park. The facility there was also outdated.

Leibham Bills Signed Into Law

Governor Scott Walker recently signed into law six bills authored by State Senator Joe Leibham. Now a candidate for Congress, Leibham says he’s grateful the bills made it into law. He says a few of them would cut down on the drug paraphernalia and drugs into jails.The Sheboygan Republican says another expands the amount of time jail inmates will have to cover the cost of their own incarceration. Yet another bill would do something about what’s termed re-homing of adopted children. He says it would prohibit advertising on the internet of children people want to give away. Leibham has represented the 9th State Senate District the past 12 years.

Sheboygan Man Arrested For Shooting Incident

A Sheboygan man was arrested last Friday night after firing a shot with a handgun inside of a north side home.  Police say the shot was fired during a family dispute shortly after 10 o’clock.  Officers were dispatched and arrested the 46-year-old suspect, who was being restrained by family members. He is facing charges of recklessly endangering safety and intoxicated use of a firearm.  No one was injured.

Oshkosh Soldier Named Best Warrior

(WBEV-Beaver Dam)-A soldier from Oshkosh won the Wisconsin National Guard’s “Best Warrior” competition this month.  Now, Specialist Zack Warnke will compete in a regional competition in Minnesota.  The 34-year-old Warnke is a member of the 32nd Infantry Brigade’s combat team.  Soldiers and non-commissioned officers have their skills evaluated in a variety of ways — including firearm tests, and a 12-mile march while carrying a 30-pound backpack.  Guard officials say it’s quite an accomplishment for one of their part-time members to make it this far — because they’re competing with full-time Army soldiers.  Warnke is a full-time student at U-W Oshkosh.  He’ll be competing among soldiers from seven other states in May at Camp Ripley in Minnesota.

Prom Season Driver Safety Reminder

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for young people in Wisconsin. With high school prom season upon us, driving safety needs to be stressed. Colette Brown, with the State’s Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Safety, says the message is simple: don’t drink and drive. She says the state’s absolute sobriety law doesn’t allow people under 21 to have any alcohol in their system if they are behind the wheel. She says there are also serious consequences for anyone who hosts an event or who provides alcohol to underage youth. Law enforcement agencies in Fond du Lac County are participating in “Party Patrols” over the next two weekends with eight different high schools having high school proms.