Top Stories April 8th

Charges Filed in Prison Suicide

4/8/09 - Dodge County District Attorney Bill Bedker has charged the cellmate of convicted killer Adam Peterson (right) with assisting in his suicide. Joshua Walters (left) was Peterson’s cellmate when the 20-year-old was found hanging from a bunk bed at the Dodge Correctional Institution on January 10th. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department led the investigation and says another inmate at the prison told them Walters admitted to having the suicide “all planned out” with Peterson. The inmate says Walters told him he tied the noose, pulled Peterson’s legs to the ground, and moved the chair when he started making too much noise. However, Walters maintains he was asleep during the suicide and woke up to Peterson hanging from the bunk at which point he called officers to the cell. Peterson was convicted of killing Joel Marino in Madison last year and had previously attempted suicide at the Dane County jail. Investigators found a suicide note on Peterson. If convicted of the assisting charge, Walters could have as much as 10-years added to his current sentence. He’s due in court for an initial appearance April 24th.

Election Turnout Lower than Expected

4/8/09 - About 23-percent of registered voters in Dodge County cast a ballot in yesterday’s election. County Clerk Karen Gibson says of the 50,400 people registered to vote 11,705 actually went to the polls. She says that total is lower than in past spring elections, which she attributed to the fact that only two school districts that reside mainly in Dodge County had funding referenda on the ballot. Gibson and her staff will begin the canvassing process over the next few days but she says the election process was one of the smoother ones she’s been a part of.

2 Arrested on Cocaine Dealing Charges

4/8/09 - The Dodge County Drug Task Force arrested two suspected Beaver Dam drug dealers this past weekend. Janice Scheurer was arrested following a traffic stop on her birthday last Saturday. The 43-year-old Scheurer (right) was reportedly in possession of 15 grams of cocaine and faces four felony distribution and possession charges. John Butske (left) was arrested following the execution of a search warrant at his residence. Authorities allegedly recovered a large quantity of cocaine and the 38-year-old Butske faces five felony drug distribution and possession charges. Sheriff Todd Nehls says the arrests were the result of two separate investigations and the two cases are “not necessarily related.”

Eberle Fails to Appear at Arraignment

4/8/09 - A Horicon woman charged with abducting her non-custodial child failed to appear for her arraignment yesterday in Dodge County court and had a warrant issued for her arrest. Lori Eberle faces 12-and-a-half years in prison for allegedly taking the girl to Michigan, where she was apprehended following a missing child alert. Arraignment for the 43-year-old has been rescheduled for April 14th.

BD Man Injured in Early Morning Accident

4/8/09 - A 30-year-old Beaver Dam was seriously injured this morning after rolling his vehicle several times in the Town of Fox Lake. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department says Brian Bennett was driving east on Highway P near Pleasant Road when he lost control of his vehicle, entered the ditch and rolled the car numerous times. Bennett was ejected and landed on the roadway which caused head and facial injuries. He was med-flighted to UW-Hospital in Madison where he his being treated for non-life threatening injuries. The investigation into the accident continues but alcohol and speed are believed to be factors.