Local News Briefs Tuesday 1/14/14

A 30-year-old Fond du Lac man arrested last week the result of police busting a meth lab on North Lincoln Avenue made his initial appearance in Fond du Lac County Court yesterday. Bond was set at $500 cash for Jacob Tynan who faces methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession charges. He has a preliminary hearing on February 14th. He’s one of two men who were arrested stemming from the meth lab bust.

Arms Display Causes Concern

A half dozen men carrying guns in Fond du Lac Saturday afternoon were cause for concern. Police say they got calls about the men toting long guns near Johnson and Main. Police did not respond because the men were apparently exercising their right to bear arms and did not break state or federal laws. Police officers were sent to the area to make sure there weren’t any violations with the act. The incident was called into the County Communications Center about 4 p.m. that afternoon.

FDL Man Sentenced On Arson Charge

The 33-year-old Fond du Lac man accused of setting fire to his mother’s home on 3rd Street last August was recently sentenced to 7 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.  Timothy Schneider was sentenced on an arson charge in Fond du Lac County Court. A burglary charge was read into the record and dismissed. According to the criminal complaint Schneider used gasoline to set fire to his mother’s home at 352 3rd Street after she had kicked him out. The August 2nd blaze caused extensive damage to the structure and smoke damage throughout the rest of the house.

Oshkosh Man Sentenced For Sheboygan Murder

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-An Oshkosh man will spend seven years in prison for stabbing a Sheboygan man to death nearly one year ago. Sheboygan County Judge James Bolgert recently sentenced 23-year-old Michael Lemerande to the prison term and five years of extended supervision.  A jury found Lemerande guilty of reckless homicide last September, causing the death of 41-year-old Nicholas Lehrke during an altercation last January 19.  Lemerande had claimed his actions were in self defense. Judge Bolgert said prison time was needed for the crime, but a longer sentence requested by the prosecution was not required given the death was not intentional. Lemerande must also pay over $8,000 in restitution.

Information Sought On Tim Buk Tu Tavern Investigation

The Oshkosh Police Department, Fire Department and the Department of Justice Fire Marshal are continuing their investigation into the fire early Sunday morning at Tim Buk Tu’s Tavern on West 17th Avenue. The cause of the fire has been ruled as undetermined. The scene has been released to the property owner and their insurance company. It’s believed the fire started in the banquet hall where the most damage occurred. Anyone who was in the tavern when the fire started is asked to call Oshkosh Police (920) 236-5700.

Washington County Cases In Women’s Attacks Separated

A 19-year-old Hubertus man has been charged for the strangling death of 19-year-old Jessie Blodgett and the attack of a woman in a Richfield Historical Park. Daniel Bartelt is charged in Washington County Court with 1st degree intentional homicide for Blodgett’s death and 3 felony counts for the July 12th knife attack in the Richfield Historical Park including attempted 1st degree intentional homicide. Blodgett’s mother found the young actresses body in her home Monday, July 15th. She had been acting in a performance of Fiddler on the Roof and had returned from a cast party early that morning. A roll of electrical tape was found under the footboard of Blodgett’s bed, it had Bartelt’s fingerprints on it. The two were classmates at Hartford Union High School. Bartelt’s attorney argued the two victims had nothing to do with each other and the cases should be tried separately, the judge agreed.

FDL DPW Put To The Test

Fond du Lac Public Works Director Jordan Skiff says his crews were put to test by the weather last week. First there was the extreme cold, which did lead to water main breaks, but only a few. Skiff says they were worried they would have more than they did. He says a few breaks occurred later in the week after the bitter cold. He says it’s hard to anticipate where that’s going to happen. Then Friday and Saturday they dealt with freezing rain and had to make sure there was enough salt down at intersections and main thoroughfares. He says there were six different times they had to have crews come in. Today could be another challenge with a Winter Storm Warning that could dump from 6 to 8 inches of snow on the area.

Retired Teachers Talk About Cut In Life Insurance Benefits

Two retired teachers spoke during the Fond du Lac School Board’s meeting about the elimination of life insurance benefits for 95 retirees. Both spoke during the audience to visitors and delegation section of the meeting. Jo Heinkel said when the school board decided to switch insurance carriers they threw the retirees under the bus. By doing so the district saved $42,500. She also talked about the need to be more transparent in making such decisions and responding to requests from those retired teachers to be heard. The other retiree Linda Reed said just because the school board has the power to take away benefits doesn’t mean they should. She said teachers already made sacrifices and in her last three years took no increase in pay while having to pay more towards their benefits. Reed taught full time for 30 years and substituted for three more years when she retired.  

FDL School District Make Up Days Announced

Two missed days of school at the beginning of last week for bitterly cold temperatures means making them up during warmer weather for Fond du Lac public schools students. District Superintendent Jim Sebert says the first make up day will be on Friday, May 23rd. He says it would have been a four day weekend for Memorial Day. He says the other will be made up on Thursday and Friday June 5th and 6th. He says June 5th was supposed to be a half day and instead will be a full day and June 6th will be a half day. He says any more snow or cold weather days would mean having to make them up into the second week of June.

Street Crimes Unit Helps Make Dent

One of the newer police units involved in the investigation of a meth lab in Fond du Lac last week was the police department’s Street Crimes Unit. Assistant Police Chief Steve Klein says there are two officers who help deal with drug crimes in the City they are officers Nick Hahn and Vance Henning. Klein says they have made a dent in drug crimes in the City. He says the two officers were among the first on the scene during the meth lab bust. The Fond du Lac Police Department also has some officers that work with the Lake Winnebago MEG Unit in drug crimes investigations.

Adult School Crossing Guard Week

They help protect our youngest, most vulnerable pedestrians. Adult school crossing guards are being recognized this week. Larry Corsi is with the State Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Safety. He says crossing guards provide a vital community service. He says it’s also a good idea to reinforce the message about using crosswalks and safely getting across the street. As Wisconsin observes Adult School Crossing Guard Week, drivers: remember state law requires you stop at least 10 feet from a school crossing when directed by a crossing guard. Crossing guards can take down license plate numbers and report drivers who do not stop properly.