Top Stories, November 4th

Randolph Man Dies Following Tuesday Accident

11/4/10 - A Randolph man has died as the result of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle accident Tuesday night in the town of Westford. It happened around 5:45 p-m near the intersection of County Trunks G and CC. 79-year-old Herbert Braker was taken by Med-flight to the hospital and pronounced dead Wednesday morning. Authorities say they plan to do an autopsy to determine an exact cause of death. The driver of the other car, 24-year-old Timothy Hollander, also of Randolph, suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital but later released. The investigation into the accident continues.

BD Officials Target Synthetic Marijuana

11/3/10 - Synthetic marijuana may be outlawed in the city of Beaver Dam. An ordinance will be considered at the November 15 meeting that would prohibit the sale and use of the legal substance that has affects similar to that of the illegal weed. Deputy Police Chief Dan Schubert says his department believes it is a danger for the citizens in the community especially younger people. He says officers asked for the ordinance after responding to a rescue call where it is suspected the person was using the drug and then became very ill. If approved, the violation would result in a municipal citation and monetary fine for those caught possessing or selling synthetic marijuana.

Johnson Hopes To Kill High Speed Train

11/4/10 - U-S Senator-elect Ron Johnson says he’ll try to help Governor-elect Scott Walker kill the controversial high-speed train from Milwaukee-to-Madison. The Doyle administration and federal officials signed an agreement last weekend which commits the state to 810-million-dollars in contracts for the project. The line would be built with federal stimulus funds, and state D-O-T officials say they’ll try to get Washington to pay 90-percent of the operating costs. But Johnson said he’s convinced the passenger line is a waste of money. Like Walker, Johnson said he doubted the train would have high ridership – and he does not believe the state can afford the operating costs. As it stands now, the state would have to pay back the stimulus money for contracts already secured. But former Governor Tommy Thompson has said that a Republican Congress could help relax that mandate – and the G-O-P won control of the House in yesterday’s elections. The Senate, however, remains in Democratic hands.

$133M MATC Referendum Approved

11/4/10 - Madison Area Technical College will soon embark on a 133-million-dollar plan for improvements at its various campuses. Almost 60-percent voters in the 12-county M-A-T-C district – which includes a portion of Dodge County – agreed Tuesday to borrow for the projects, which include a 43-million-dollar health services building on the main campus in Madison. The projects will cost property-owners an average of 33-dollars a year for the next 20 years.

Husband Poisoning Suspect Pleads “Not Guilty”

11/4/10 - A former Town of Clyman woman entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment Wednesday to charges that she tried to poison her husband. Marja Prasalowicz is charged with two felony counts of Placing Foreign Objects in Edibles. According to the criminal complaint, the 31-year-old put sleeping pills in soda, coffee and water bottles. Her husband became suspicious in August after his drinks began tasting like insect killer. She initially denied the allegations to her husband, and reportedly drank a bottle of water the victim believed was tainted. He says she then became somewhat woozy. Prasalowicz allegedly admitted the poisoning saying she did it because her husband was not sleeping well. The charges carry a maximum seven year prison sentence.

Bahr Enters Plea In Child Sexual Assault

11/4/10 - A 20-year-old Beaver Dam man will spend 60 days in jail for having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl. Kyle C. Bahr pleaded “no contest” yesterday to a felony charge of Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child for an offense that occurred this summer. Judge Steven Bauer also withheld a finding of guilt and placed Bahr on Deferred Prosecution for a similar felony offense that occurred in the spring. Investigators say Bahr was aware of the young teen’s age when he was with her on several occasions this spring. He told authorities that he thought she was 18-years-old and just had a strict mom. Bahr also told investigators that the victim never said “she was 18” but he says she told him her birthday was in 1992, which at the time still made it illegal for the two of them to be together. Bahr’s roommate knew the victim’s age and said Bahr was aware of it as well. The victim believed Bahr was a couple years younger than his actual age. In addition to 60 days in jail with Huber privileges, Bahr was placed on probation for two years.

Priessnitz Arraigned on Rape Charges

11/4/10 - A Brownsville man entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment Wednesday to charges that he raped a teenager. Shane Priessnitz is charged with a felony count of Second Degree Sexual Assault with the Use of Force related to the alleged incident this past August. According to the criminal complaint, the 22-year-old forced himself onto the victim, choking her and threatening to hurt her if she continued to scream. Priessnitz is also said to have threatened the victim after the assault if she told anyone. The charge carries a maximum 40 year prison sentence, upon conviction.

Beaver Dam Man Arrested For Photographing Woman

11/3/10 - A Beaver Dam man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly taking pictures of an unsuspecting woman in a local department store. Police were called after security guards reporting seeing Jesus A. Hernandez photographing a woman in Shopko. After officers learned that the 30-year-old had been arrested in another jurisdiction for a similar offense, they took Hernandez into custody on misdemeanor charges of Disorderly Conduct and Bail Jumping.