Top Stories March 19th

Fox Lake Talks Consolidation

3/19/09 - Consolidation of three police departments set off a spirited discussion in Fox Lake last night. In a letter addressed to officials in the City and Town of Fox Lake, as well as the village of Randolph, Sheriff Todd Nehls suggested it would be a benefit to the taxpayer for the three municipalities’ police departments to consolidate. Speaking to the Fox Lake city council, Nehls said doing so would give the area 24/7 coverage and a lower cost to the taxpayer. However, a number of alderpersons asked Nehls for the exact cost savings and some suggested hiring an outside consultant to do the same. Before they can do that though, Alderman John Mund told the council more research would have to be done on how some other law enforcement agencies in the county handled consolidation. The item will be placed on the committee of the whole agenda for April for more discussion.

Delivery Service Worker Tip Leads to Benson Back in Jail

3/19/09 - The former surgeon charged with killing an educator and two of her kids in a drug-induced Oconomowoc traffic crash will need another 150-thousand-dollars to get out of jail. That was the bond set yesterday for Mark Benson. He was freed February 20th after posting a half-million-dollar bond. But the judge told him not to have medicines which are not prescribed by his doctor – and he wasn’t supposed to have weapons, either. On Tuesday night, police took the 56-year-old Benson back to jail after searching his home. They found numerous medicines, three rifles, three handguns, and over 20-thousand rounds of ammunition. The raid occurred because a delivery service worker in Florida who knew about the Benson case tipped police off about a drug package being sent to him. Benson was just days away from going to jail for his third drunk driving offense when he struck a car last April, allegedly under the influence of two conflicting medicines. That crash killed popular Oconomowoc educator Jennifer Bukosky, her unborn child, and her 10-year-old daughter. Now, prosecutors may ask that Benson forfeit his earlier half-million-dollar bond – or to increase the current 150-thousand-dollar bond. A court hearing on that is set for next Thursday in Waukesha.

LaFave Pleads Guilty

3/19/09 - The Delafield woman, who assisted in the murder of a UW-Milwaukee student near Watertown, pleaded “guilty” to a charge of felony Murder Wednesday morning in Milwaukee County court. 21-year-old Tammi LaFave was advised of her constitutional rights and maximum penalties before waving those rights.

LaFave helped her boyfriend Travis Zoellick kidnap-and-murder 31-year-old Haroon Khan last fall. The 20-year-old Zoellick killed himself at his Watertown home as law enforcement closed in. Authorities say he was so obsessed with obtaining a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution he kidnapped and killed Khan, who’s so-called “Evo” was for sale.

According to the criminal complaint, LaFave and Zoellick drove to Milwaukee with zip ties and a gun. She was in the backseat during the test drive when Zoellick pulled out the gun and pointed it at Khan. LaFave handed Zoellick the hand ties used to bind the victim and told authorities that she felt if she didn’t participate he would leave her. Zoellick drove the Mitsubishi while LaFave drove her car back to a wooded area in the Town of Emmett. LaFave was talking to her mother on her cell phone as Zoellick walked Khan into the woods to kill him, but told her mother nothing of the incident. A blood-covered Zoellick returned 20 minutes later with an 8-inch knife and insisted she view Khan’s body. Afterward, the pair drove to his mother’s house and then to Wal-Mart to go shopping. She told authorities she was scared to say anything becuase she was afraid Zoellick would break up with her. They had met only weeks earlier on the scoial networking website My Space.

LaFave could get up to 55 years in prison when she is sentenced on Monday. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Zachary Zaborek of Watertown has a two-day jury trial scheduled in August on a charge of Aiding a Felon for allegedly helping to conceal the murder.

No Leads on “Jane Doe” in FDL

3/19/09 - Nearly four months after the discovery of a young woman's body in southeastern Fond du Lac County investigators are still waiting to learn her identity. Deer hunters found the woman's body in a creek in a wooded area during the opening weekend of the gun-deer season. Sheriff's investigators have put together a profile of her general weight, height, and appearance. However Lieutenant Bill Flood says they haven't gotten any solid hits on the national crime data bases they are using to get out information about their "Jane Doe." Flood says once the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children finish the digital reconstruction of the woman's face they may learn more.

Columbus Holds City Council Debate

3/19/09 - “Can we make Columbus more business friendly?” was the question answered by all four City Council candidates at last night’s debate. 3rd District Council Member Bill Bruns called for fair and equal treatment for existing and new businesses. His opponent Ray Lawler focused on business recruitment advantages citing the City’s low crime rate. District 2 incumbent Darrell Augustine emphasized finding a solution to downtown parking problems. His opponent, Dave Bomkamp, proposed an increase in collaboration among City business leaders. Columbus “Mayoral” candidates will square off in the second Chamber of Commerce debate next Wednesday.

Parpart Ordered To Pay $45K in Restitution for OWI Injury

3/19/09 - A Horicon teen who injured a passenger in a drunk driving accident was ordered yesterday to pay $45,000 in restitution. 20-year-old Cody Parpart lost control of his vehicle on Highway 33 in August of 2007 and overturned. His blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit. One of the passengers was taken by MedFlight to UW Hospital Madison. Parpart was sentenced in January to six months of conditional jail time and placed on probation for five years.

Tiedt Gets Probation

3/19/09 - A West Bend man who injured a passenger in his vehicle while fleeing from police was sentenced yesterday to three years probation. Ryan Tiedt also had a seven year prison sentence imposed and stayed. The 25-year-old ran from authorities in December of 2007 in the Town of Hubbard. He lost control of his vehicle and rolled it on State Highway 67, just north of Highway 33. A passenger in the vehicle injured and transported b to the Beaver Dam Community Hospital. Tiedt fled the scene on foot before being apprehended a short time later. He also had his license revoked for one year.

Dodge County Gets Stimulus Funds

3/19/09 - A state panel has given final approval to 49 road-and-bridge projects to be built this year with federal economic stimulus cash. The Joint Finance Committee voted 16-to-nothing this week to free up just over 42-million dollars, including $1.7-million-dollars to complete the Dodge County Highway G project from Glen Drive to Highway 73 in the Town of Westford. Surrounding counties will also see an influx of the money. Fond du Lac will be able to reconstruct the Lake Maria Road Bridge and the Oak Grove Road Bridge in the Town of Alto, while Washington County will work on the Highway W Bridge over the East Brand of the Rock River. Construction bids will be sought this spring.

Racial Profiling to be Studied

3/19/09 - Wisconsinites might not have the right-to-know about the data police in the state’s 11 largest counties may start collecting from drivers in 2011. The governor’s proposed budget would have officers give the data to state officials, to determine if drivers are being stopped because of their race. And that data would stay secret – unlike any other information officers collect on traffic stops. The data would produce government reports which conclude whether or not racial profiling determines who gets stopped. Milwaukee Democratic legislators demanded that information before they’d support another proposal to let police stop drivers just because they’re not wearing seat belts. The so-called “primary enforcement” measure also made it into the governor’s budget.

Doyle Budget Would Increase Taxes and Fees by $1.7B

3/19/09 - Governor Jim Doyle’s proposed state budget would raise taxes-and-fees by one-point-seven billion dollars over the next two years. The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau broke down those increases in a memo released yesterday. It cited 238-million-dollars in various fee hikes, along with a billion-and-a-half in higher taxes. The bureau also said an additional 61-million would be brought in by new efforts to collect taxes-and-fees which are now on the books. The biggest increases include a 75-percent jump in the cigarette tax, higher income taxes on couples that make over 300-thousand-dollars a year, and corporate tax increases for multi-state companies based here.