Local News Briefs Wednesday 10/9/13

Fond du Lac County’s Public Safety Committee won’t be recommending a County ordinance that would trump the state’s new rule that allows the use of rifles during the gun-deer hunt. About 40 people attended yesterday afternoon’s meeting in Fond du Lac about the new rule that goes into effect on November 1st.  Currently only shotguns can be used during the hunt in the County. However individual townships have the ability to enact their own ordinances on the issue. Most of those attending the committee’s meeting favored the new DNR rule. DNR Warden Supervisor April Dombrowski, of the Oshkosh field office, tells us department hunting accident statistics show shotguns are involved in more hunting accidents.

FDL Man Facing Charges For Chase

A 43-year-old Fond du Lac man is facing charges for a high speed chase that started in Fond du Lac Saturday evening and ended in Lomira. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Captain Rick Olig says it started about 10:15 that evening at Highway 151 and Camelot Drive. The driver wouldn’t stop for deputies and went south on Highway 41. A sheriff’s deputy deployed stop sticks on Highway 41 just north of Highway 67. The spikes deflated the two front tires on the man’s vehicle. He drove a few blocks into Lomira and stopped. He was taken into custody without incident. The man is facing his 3rd drunken driving charge and charges of felony eluding, operating after revocation and tampering with an ignition interlock device.

More Details Released About Officer-Involved Shooting In Jackson

Washington County Sheriff’s officials have released a few more details about an officer-involved shooting at a Culver’s restaurant in Jackson Sunday morning. The manager of the Culver’s restaurant was able to wrestle a shotgun away from the suspect, but was stabbed in the head when the man pulled a knife. The two continued struggling for control of the shotgun and knife until a Jackson police officer and deputies arrived. The suspect gained control of the shotgun at that point and pointed it at officers. Officers then fired at him. Both the manager and suspect were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital. The manager was treated and released. The suspect was flown to Froedtert Hospital where he’s in critical condition. Authorities say he’s a 24-year-old Waukesha man who will be facing a number of charges including five counts of recklessly endangering safety. He has previous convictions for fleeing officers, drug trafficking, carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct. The Sheriff’s Department and State Patrol are investigating the robbery attempt and West Bend Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting.

Wheelchair Bound Man Hits Sheboygan Police Officer

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-A Sheboygan man who was sleeping or passed out in his wheelchair in the middle of the street over the weekend is now facing two felony charges.  Thirty-eight-year-old Carl Sonneman Jr. is charged with battery to a police officer and discharging bodily fluids at the officer after the officer tried to wake him and get him out of the street. Authorities said it happened about 9 o’clock Sunday night.  As the officer attempted to question Sonneman he allegedly struck the officer in the head and attempted to spit on him.  The officer eventually got Sonneman out of his wheelchair and he was taken into custody. 

Beaver Dam Man Sentenced For Touching Girl At Walmart

A Dodge County judge has sentenced a 62-year-old Beaver Dam man to a year of conditional jail time for inappropriately touching a young girl at a Walmart. William Thessin was sentenced this week for the incident involving an 8-year-old girl who was shopping with her mother at the Beaver Dam Walmart last December. Security footage showed the man pinching the girl’s buttocks. He was also sentenced to five years of probation and will have to pay for psychological care.

NFDL Village Board Approves Applying For Land Purchase Loan

The North Fond du Lac Village Board this week approved applying for a $657,990 State Trust Fund Loan to purchase vacant lots in the Northgate Business Park. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says that will help them in marketing efforts for the park. He says the firm that owns the land, MLG, is divesting itself of such properties. Hornung says $50,000 of that money would be used to clean up the vacant properties. He says they now have to wait to get approval from the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands for the State Trust Fund Loan, but hope to have it by mid-November.

FDL City Council Will Consider Increasing Council Salaries

The Fond du Lac City Council tonight will consider raising salaries to $5,000 a year. Currently Council members receive $2,500 a year and a resolution to raise salaries would raise them by $500 a year over a five year period until they reach $5,000. Council salaries were raised to $3,000 a year in 1997, but lowered to $2,500 in the last year. The Council will also consider approving the 2014 Business Improvement and District Operating Plan and Budget. The Council meets at 6 p.m. at the City-County Government Center.

Thiesfeldt Court Fee Bill On Its Way To The Governor’s Desk

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt’s bill that would allow municipal courts to increase court fees by up to $10 is on its way to the Governor’s desk. Assembly Bill 22 was unanimously passed by the State Senate Tuesday. It passed by a 95 to 1 vote in the Assembly earlier this year. The bill will increase the maximum filing fee in a municipal court action from $28 to $38 when the court finds an ordinance has been violated. The last fee increase was in 2005. Thiesfeldt says judges from around the state made the journey to Madison to testify before committees in favor of the change. There are about 350 municipalities serve by 243 municipal courts in the state.

BCI Burkes Supplies New Hamilton Park Playground Equipment

Playground equipment maker BCI Burke recently supplied the playground equipment to replace equipment destroyed by an intentionally set fire at Hamilton Park in Fond du Lac. Thanks to donations form Charmaine Luczak of JaM Chocolates, Sandi Ritchie of Domino’s Pizza, the Fond du Lac Firefighters Local 400 and the Stone Foundation, insurance and grant monies the City was able to replace the equipment. John Hansen is a Business Development Specialist with BCI Burke. He says the community always seems to rally when there is a need. He says it’s important for kids to have an avenue to stay active. A ribbon cutting was recently held for the two shiny new playgrounds with equipment tailored for children 2 to 5 years of age and those from 5 to 12 years of age. Hansen says he was there while the equipment was being installed and neighbors were happy to see it.

Shutdown Complicates Hunting

The partial federal government shutdown is complicating hunting on some federal properties. The Horicon Marsh for example in which the federal government owns the northern two-thirds and the state owns the southern third. DNR Warden Supervisor April Dombrowski says access will be available to some of those overlapping lands. She says management authority is in the hands of the state for example in Devil’s Lake State Park and the state portion of the Horicon Marsh. She says to be clear hunters should check the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife falls under the Department of Interior and their website. Information on the shutdown has to do with contingency plans.

Walk To School Day

A number of school districts across Wisconsin will hold Walk to School activities today. Fond du Lac elementary and middle schools, and the STEM Academy and STEM Institute have planned activities for Walk to School Day. Marian Sheridan the Fond du Lac School District’s School Health and Safety Programs Director says, “October is Child Health Month and walking your child to school is a terrific way to obtain physical activity and discuss safety in your own neighborhood.” Meanwhile Fond du Lac Fire Department Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase reminds drivers to be on the lookout for children walking and biking to school.

KC Chicken Dinner For Food Pantries Thursday

The Fond du Lac Knights of Columbus will host their 4th Annual Chicken Dinner to benefit local food pantries. Jim Rieder is the general manager for the KC’s hall on Fond du Lac Avenue. He says last year’s dinner raised $5,300 for the pantries. He says the dinner had a profit of $2,400, the Board of Directors matched that, and the State Council kicked in another $500. He says it is all volunteer help that put on the dinner. He says there’s a real need in the community for those food pantries. Tickets for tomorrow night’s dinner are $10 each and only available in advance by calling 921-1290. Only 400 tickets are available. Hours for the dinner are from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

In District Hours For State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt will be holding office hours on Thursday, October 24th and Friday, October 25th. On the 24th he will be at Oakfield Village Hall from 10 to 11:30 a.m., the Fond du Lac Police Department in Meeting Room A from noon to 1:30 p.m., the Town of Empire Hall from 2 to 3:30 p.m., and the Fond du Lac YMCA from 4 to 5:30 p.m. He will also be available at ReachOut Books in Fond du Lac from 7 to 9 a.m. on Friday, October 25th for Java with Jeremy.