Local News Briefs Tuesday 3/1/16

Fatal Industrial Accident In Sheboygan County

Sheboygan County Sheriff’s officials say one man was killed and another injured when the bus they were working on moved and struck them Monday. The accident occurred at Personalized Coach’s on Pheasant Valley Road in the Town of Lyndon. A 38-year-old man died at the scene and a 61-year-old man was taken to St. Nicholas Hospital. Both men were employees of the business. A 911 call alerted officials to the accident about noon.

Missing Oshkosh Area Man Found Dead In Florida Lake

An Oshkosh area man who had been missing in Florida was found dead in a lake over the weekend. Orange County sheriff’s deputies say the body of 76-year-old William Robl of Pickett was found Saturday in Lake Beauclair near Orlando. Robl had been missing since last Wednesday, when he left a boat-ramp, and his craft was later found going in circles on the water with nobody on board. Robl spent his winters in Florida after he retired as a cabinet maker and a volunteer fire-fighter.

Oshkosh Man Arrested For Social Media Sexting

Oshkosh Police have arrested an 18-year-old Oshkosh man who was using Snap Chat to send inappropriate pictures of himself to a minor. The man was arrested Friday night and was taken to the Winnebago County Jail. Police suspect there may be other victims. The suspect had two accounts on Snap Chat. The first account was Maxwell 872 and the second Jmoney 371. Police are encouraging parents to speak with their children and check their child’s Snap Chat account if they have one. If your child may have been a victim you are asked to contact Oshkosh Police. You can contact School Resource Officer Dave Maas at (920) 252-0233 or Detective Joe Framke at (920) 236-5734. 

Three Arrested In Dodge County For OWI On Motorcycles

Two twenty-nine-year-old Juneau men were arrested for drunken driving after their motorcycles collided on Grant Road in the Town of Rubicon Sunday night. Dodge County Sheriff’s officials say Jeremy Strehlow stopped on Grant Road and Nicholas Kadinger ran into his bike. Both suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to a local hospital. Neither was wearing a helmet. Strehlow is facing his 3rd drunken driving offense and Kadinger his second. Meanwhile 39-year-old Troy Emmrich who was also in the area on a motorcycle was arrested for his 1st drunken driving offense. He was not involved in a crash.

Former Sheboygan Alderman Sentenced

A former Sheboygan alderman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision on sexual assault charges. Kevin Matichek was sentenced in Sheboygan County Court Monday. He reached a plea agreement last December. He was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 2014, but a child sexual assault charge from Ozaukee County was consolidated into the Sheboygan County case.

Safe Ride Ron Thief Charged

The 48-year-old Neosho man accused of stealing from Safe Ride Ron has been charged in Dodge County Court.  Brian Krieger is facing a felony car theft charge and a misdemeanor theft charge.  The Dodge County Tavern League’s Safe Ride Ron picked Krieger up from a bar during a December snow storm.  When he could not find him a place for the night, Ron took Krieger home with him.  Ron awoke the next morning to find his flat screen TV and a van he was keeping for a friend was missing.  The van was found the next day in Milwaukee.  Krieger was picked up in Waukesha County and returned to Dodge County.  He will make his initial court appearance on March 14th. 

FDL Police Officer Gives Active Shooter Talks

Fond du Lac Police Officer Erik Foster says he’s given quite a few active shooter sessions to groups in the area over the past few weeks. In fact last Tuesday he gave seven presentations. Foster says the concepts he talks about are for any kind of setting not just work places. He says the shootings at Columbine High School changed the way law enforcement and the public approach active shooter incidents. He says law enforcement realized that they can’t wait to go into such scenes. He says typically he does the active shooter presentations for groups, but he’d love to do one just for the general public sometime. Foster says if you are interested in having a group presentation call him at the police department at 322-3746.

Ripon Room Tax Increased

The Ripon Common Council recently approved an increase in the City’s room tax. City Administrator Lori Rich says it was increased from 6 to 7 percent. She says the increase will go into effect on April 1st. She says it will generate an additional $16,000 to $17,000 a year for tourism promotion and development. She says most of the funds go to local chamber of commerce, the Main Street program and other organizations that help to promote tourism. The last time the room tax was increased in Ripon was in January of 2005 when it was bumped up from 5 to 6 percent.

Contract Encourages Teens To Make Good Driving Choices

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department and the STAAND group at Fond du Lac High School are taking a unique approach to reducing drunken driving. As a course requirement driver’s education students are asked to enter a contract with their parents. Megan Harshbarger is the youth organizer for Drug Free Communities, overseeing STAAND groups at North Fond du Lac, Campbellsport, and Fond du Lac High School. The contract includes tips for talking. She says kids who talk to their parents about the dangers of drunken driving are less likely to do so. She says Sheriff’s deputies also talk to driver’s education students about the risks of drinking and driving and present the contract to the students. When the students bring back a signed contract they get a blue key chain as a practical reminder of the contract and to make good choices. STAAND is an acronym for Students Taking Action Against Negative Decisions.