Local News Briefs Wednesday 10/14/15

FDL Woman Says Son Was Unjustly Accused Of Rape

A Fond du Lac woman says her view of the justice system has been changed after her 22-year-old son was unjustly accused of raping a woman on the UW-Madison campus last year. Charges against Amory Waters were dropped a week before a Dane County trial on a 2nd degree sexual assault charge. According to Waters’ mother Renee Police used video and in particular the clothing he was wearing to identify him as a possible suspect in the assault. She says it didn’t help that he admitted it was him in the video, but that wasn’t a confession. In particular they were interested in his shoes and where he was seen walking in Madison. She says the charge was dismissed last Thursday, but her son was accused of a crime and that doesn’t go away on the Internet specifically when people are looking up court cases. Renee says it took almost a year for the Dane County District Attorney to look at the report and the evidence that was submitted before dismissing the case. They ended up spending nearly $40,000 on legal fees, most of which her son paid for by working two jobs and 10-12 hour days. Her son Amory now lives and works in Iowa, she says he is a good boy. 

West Bend Man Charged With Theft By Contractor

Washington County Sheriff’s officials say a 37 year old West Bend man has been charged with theft by contractor. Jason Stendahl was paid over $19,000 to complete work on a residence in the Town of Barton.  He allegedly used the money for other projects and did not complete the work. He also hired a subcontractor to do the work on the property, but didn’t pay that contractor. As a result, the victim now has several liens placed on the property. Stendahl will make his initial court appearance on November 2nd.

FDL City Council Preview

The Fond du Lac City Council will hold a public hearing for the 2016 City Budget during its meeting tonight. There will also be a hearing on the 2016 Transit System Budget. Also during the meeting Public Works Director Jordan Skiff will give a presentation on how a jurisdictional transfer of Highway 45 from Highway 151 to State Highway 23 will affect the City. The Council will take up the transfer at their October 28th meeting. The Council meets tonight at 6 p.m. at the City-County Government Center.

NFDL Village Budget Being Shaped

The North Fond du Lac Village Board this week held a special meeting to hear from department heads about the proposed Village Budget for 2016. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says they seem to be on target given the expenditure restraints they have to work under. He says some parts of the budget still have to be reviewed. He says the Library budget has to go before the Library Board tonight before it can be reviewed by the Village Board. He says they also provide ambulance services to the Towns of Friendship, Lamartine, Fond du Lac and Eldorado. Each township and the village put in $23 per capita to finance the EMS budget. He says the Emergency Medical Service Advisory Committee meets on that budget Thursday. He says the Village Board likely won’t give final approval to the budget until their November 16th meeting.  

Dodge County Sheriffs Department Looking At New Records Keeping System

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says they received three offers to upgrade their records keeping system. He says one of them was from New World the company they’ve had so many issues with over the past several years. He says based on the costs they were proposing and past history of lack of tech support they were ruled out. He says they like the offer they got from Spillman Technologies, which produces law enforcement and public safety software. He says they seem to fit what Dodge County needs and a presentation will be made at the County Board’s meeting next month as they hope for authorization to go ahead with the project. Schmidt says Spillman has worked with Sheriff’s Departments in Green Lake, Marquette, Dane, Waukesha and Sheboygan Counties. He says the record of their tech support and the stability of the system is very good.

Waupun Facilities Study

Waupun Schools Superintendent Tonya Gubin says a 300-page report on a facilities study in some instances confirmed what they suspected about aging facilities. She for instance they knew that boilers and windows in some of their schools aren’t energy efficient enough.

She says restrooms at their SAGES school in Fox Lake sill have the original toilets and fixtures that were installed when it opened as an elementary school in 1949. She says they also need to improve the security for entry to some of their schools. She says they will be conducting a public survey next March or April and the Facility Advisory Committee will work on some recommendations for the school board. Gubin says it will then be up to the board to decide whether or not to stage a referendum in November of next year.

Free Mediation Available In Oshkosh Thursday

In celebration of the American Bar Association’s Mediation Week, the Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Association of Mediators are hosting a Mediation Week. The group is offering no-cost mediation for pending cases or disputes in different cities across the state this week. Thursday there will be a session at the Winnebago County Courthouse in Oshkosh. To schedule a free mediation session call 920-236-4925.  

Book And Gift Fair At FDL City County Government Center Today

Employees at the Fond du Lac City-County Government Center will be holding their annual Book & Gift Fair today to benefit the Fond du Lac Area United Way. United Way Executive Director Amber Kilawee says hours for the Fair are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. She says a food truck will be parked on Macy Street for those who want lunch. It is the Chameleon Mobile Cuisine truck and it will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Books and items will be 30 to 70 percent off retail during the Fair.