Top Stories February 20th

Inmate Accused in Claw Hammer Attack in Court

2/20/09 - A former Fox Lake Correctional Institution inmate who attacked two guards with a claw-hammer was in Dodge County court yesterday for an initial appearance. 50-year-old Terrance Davis is charged with two counts of attempted murder for allegedly attacking the guards in the prison’s furniture-making shop last November. A 52-year-old officer sustained head injuries and a broken arm and a 38-year-old guard required surgery for a fractured skull. Yesterday’s hearing had to be continued because Davis was unable to prove that he had retained legal counsel. He told the court that his family hired an attorney from Cincinnati for $3000 but they were paying in installments. However, when the public defenders office called to confirm that, they were told otherwise. Judge Andrew Bissonnette even tried to contact the law office during the hearing, but was unsuccessful. The initial hearing was continued until March 6. Dodge County District Attorney Bill Bedker indicated that he would not be asking the court to set a cash bail since Davis was already incarcerated and will be for some time to come. He has been in prison since he killed two Milwaukee police officers 23 years ago when the officers walked into a drug deal. Davis faces up to 40 years in prison on each count.

Allen Bound Over for Horicon Apartment Arson

2/20/09 - A Horicon woman was bound over for trial yesterday on charges of Arson of Building related to an apartment complex fire last November. Judge Steven Bauer found probable cause to proceed with the case of Jamie R. Allen, who is accused of setting the fire in her unit on the 900 block of Division Street. According to the criminal complaint, the 33-year-old admitted to using a lighter to ignite a curtain in the doorway of her bedroom and clothes in her closet. She then locked the door so that the fire could not be extinguished, but removed her cat and birds. Allen says she has been diagnosed as a Schizoaffective and a Manic Depressant and indicated that her caseworker is trying to brainwash her. When questioned, she told investigators she wanted to (quote) “see what she could get away with and blow up the whole world…go to Iraq and Iran and blow it all up.” When asked about the safety of other people in the building, she reportedly laughed and said that she (quote) “figured they’d get out before their place burned down.” There were no injuries but the fire resulted in a reported $15,000 in damage. Allen has an arraignment hearing set for March 4. If convicted, she faces up to 40 years in prison.

Benson Has Bond Reduced

2/20/09 - A former surgeon charged in a crash that killed a popular educator and two others in Oconomowoc has had his million-dollar bond cut in half. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Mac Davis agreed to a defense request yesterday to reduce Mark Benson’s bail. But defense attorney Dean Strang is still not sure if his client can post it. Authorities said the 55-year-old Benson was under a pain-killer and anxiety drug when his vehicle rear-ended a car last April. Oconomowoc High School assistant principal Jennifer Bukosky was killed, along with her unborn child and her 10-year-old daughter. Benson was just days away from reporting to jail for his third drunk driving conviction. And the crash spurred Governor Jim Doyle to demand that three-time O-W-I be a felony. Doyle did not include the measure in his proposed state budget this week. Lawmakers say they’re still drafting more comprehensive drunk driving reforms which would include the proposal.

Meeker Pleads “No Contest”

2/20/09 - A Columbus woman entered “no contest” pleas this week to charges that she embezzled money from her employer and burned her house down to pay off debts. Krista Meeker was charged in two separate cases with Theft in a Business Setting and Arson of Building. The 34-year-old Meeker worked as a bookkeeper at All-Phase Electric in Beaver Dam and wrote 17 company checks to herself totaling $83,000. Meeker told authorities she had cashed the checks and gave all the money to the owner of the company, the late Wendell Vander Galien. Meeker instead deposited most of the money into her bank account. Meeker also set an April 12th fire that destroyed her Town of Calamus home. She says a fire left burning in a kitchen is to blame but samples of wood from a cabinet in the kitchen tested positive for a fire accelerant. She wanted to collect insurance money to pay off debts. Meeker faces a total maximum prison terms of 50 years at sentencing June 4.

Antique Mall Reports Biggest Day Ever

2/20/09 - A Columbus business has reported the biggest day… and possibly the biggest month… in 25 years of business. Dan Amato of the Columbus Antique Mall reported at Thursday’s Business Roundtable that the first Saturday in February was their most successful day on record. Amato said that the cold January weather kept most people indoors. However, with the warmer temps following the Super Bowl the number of people going through the Mall in February has been at an all time high.

Director Threatens Pullout without Movie Tax Credits

2/20/09 - Governor Doyle says Wisconsin didn’t get enough of an economic benefit last year when Hollywood came to Columbus, Beaver Dam and other state communities to shoot Johnny Depp’s film, “Public Enemies.” The governor’s comments came after another movie producer said she’d pull out of Wisconsin if the legislature approves plans to drop movie industry tax credits. Susan Kay Moses was going to shoot a science fiction thriller in Milwaukee and Green Bay and had been pre approved for $750 thousand dollars in state tax breaks. Moses says if she doesn’t get the breaks, she’ll go to a state with better incentives. That didn’t faze the governor who said it would probably save the taxpayers a lot of money.

Tavern League: Time Not Right for Smoking Ban

2/20/09 - The Wisconsin Tavern League says it's the wrong time to be proposing a statewide smoking ban. The governor included a proposed statewide ban in his budget, but Tavern League lobbyist Scott Stenger says it's the wrong way to implement such a sweeping change. Stenger says it's a comprehensive change in state policy and including it in the budget makes it harder to negotiate. The proposal would require bars and restaurants to go smoke free two months after the budget is passed. Stenger says it's unrealistic to expect taverns to prepare for such a change so quickly. Stenger says they're open to a statewide ban, if it includes a phase-in period for taverns.

GAB Looking to Update Voter Rolls

2/20/09 - If you haven’t voted in a while, you could soon be hearing from the state. The Government Accountability Board will send post-cards today to 313-thousand registered voters who haven’t been the polls in at least four years. Those people must return the cards if they want to keep their active status on the voter rolls. Those who don’t return the cards will be taken off the state’s computerized voter registration list which fully went on-line last year. Elections’ administrator Nat Robinson says the postcard mailings will assure that voters’ names-and-addresses are accurate and up-to-date, as required by law.