Local News Briefs Thursday 7/2/15

The 24-year-old man from the Netherlands who stalked a Fond du Lac High School student will be deported. Hendrikus Descendre reached a plea agreement with Fond du Lac County prosecutors. Wednesday he pled no contest to a stalking charge before Judge Richard Nuss and was credited with serving 184 days in jail. Three other charges; one count of stalking and two identity theft charges were read into the record and dismissed. Descendre allegedly had an online relationship with the student, but she ended the relationship. The stalking charges stem from actions he took during a trip to Fond du Lac, which included visiting her neighborhood and showing up at her mother’s workplace. The identity theft charges stemmed from using her name and photos to create a website, pretending to be her.  In posts on the website posing as her he said she was looking forward to meeting him.

Beaver Dam Man Sentenced To Life In Prison

A Dodge County judge has sentenced a 61-year-old Beaver Dam man to life in prison without parole for sexually molesting a 10-year-old girl. A jury had found Steven Brown guilty of two felony charges. Prosecutors say the victim was about 10-years-old when Brown started molesting her in the year 2000. The sexual assaults continued for four years. Her parents were his friends and she used to babysit for him. She came forward after extensive counseling.

Random Lake Man Pleads To West Bend Bank Robbery

A 29-year-old Random Lake man will be sentenced in September for robbing the Landmark Credit Union branch inside the West Bend Pick ‘n Save. Brandon Baumhardt was in Washington County Court this week where he pled guilty to the crime. He will be sentenced on September 2nd. He got away with nearly $7,400 during the robbery last January 10th. Prosecutors are not expected to ask for more than 10 years in prison. A pre-sentence investigation was ordered.

New FDL City County Entrance Will Not Be Available Until Next Month

The new entrance on the north side of the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center in Fond du Lac will not likely be open until next month. County Executive Al Buechel says originally they had targeted having it open and ready for public use by the end of this month. He says the project has been going well, but the elevator entrance is taking longer than expected. He says it may be a couple weeks into August before they can open that entrance. The new entrance also gives City and County officials the option for a security checkpoint at the top of the elevator and stairs. Buechel says there are no plans to have the security checkpoint manned at this time. He says it was time however to have a more accessible entrance for the handicapped.

Thiesfeldt Opt Out Bill Amended

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt says he’s hoping for bipartisan support on a bill that would allow parents or guardians of children in grades 3 through 12 to opt out of statewide testing like the Badger Exam. He says the legislation sprung out of a situation involving a 7th grader in Fond du Lac who wanted to opt out of testing. He says the legislation would make it less confusing for parents who would like to have their children opt out of some state testing. He says he made some changes to the original legislation after hearings in Assembly and Senate education committees and hopes it gains enough support to find its way into law.

Adjusting To 70 Miles Per Hour

The highway safety coordinator for Fond du Lac County says people have been making the adjustment to the new 70 mile per hour speed limit on I-41 over the past few weeks. Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says at first people were traveling at faster speeds of 80 to 85 miles per hour the first few days, but it has slowed down a little since then. He says the problem has been with people merging onto the highway traveling at slower speeds. He says people coming off the ramps at 55 miles per hour are creating problems for those on the highway who are already up to speed. He says he still advocates for going the speed limit because the faster you go the more likely you are not to survive a crash.

Walleye Weekend Recap

The president of Fond du Lac Festivals Board of Directors says there were a lot of great things about Walleye Weekend last month. Ray Lapierre says more than 65,000 people attended the three-day festival at Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac. He says non-profit groups benefitted from the festival. He says 56 groups representing 49 non-profits were involved and they were happy with the results. He says more than 1,300 volunteers also worked Walleye Weekend. He says there were a few new attractions like helicopter rides that people enjoyed. He says people enjoyed the wine bar. Marian University Alumni helped put it on and more than 1,300 people had a glass of wine at the wine bar. A food drive at the entrances to the park was also very successful.

American Bank Collecting Retired Flags

American Bank branches in the area are hosting a retired flag collection for the community in honor of Independence Day. American Bank is collaborating with the VFW and the Pewaukee American Legion Post, which will facilitate the proper disposal and retirement of worn flags. Boxes will be located inside each of the six American Bank locations for retired flags to be placed and properly disposed of with honor. Those American Bank locations are in Brownsville, Fond du Lac, Mayville, Omro, Princeton, and Waukesha. The retired flag collection will be an ongoing effort beyond the Fourth of July holiday for those who would like to participate.