Top Stories April 13th

Horicon Man Killed in Motorcycle Accident

4/13/12 - A Horicon man was killed last night after he lost control of his motorcycle and was hit by a semi-truck about a mile south of Iron Ridge.  It happened around 8pm on Highway 67 near Wildcat Road.  Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says the 30-year-old man was driving north on Highway 67, when the tractor-trailer in front of him stopped to make a left-hand turn.  It appears the man couldn’t stop in time and laid the bike down.  He skidded into the southbound lane and was hit by the semi.  The man was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was hurt.  The death was the second fatal traffic accident in Dodge County this year. The man’s name is being withheld pending notification of family.

Play Addresses Intergenerational Domestic Abuse

4/13/12 - April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month and a founding member of the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater is presenting an original play this weekend that addresses the sensitive issue in a very real way. Playwright Annette Kamps describes her two-act, original drama “Mothers Curtain” as, “a mother’s secret, a daughter’s despair, the unrelenting cycle of domestic abuse.” She says it’s a story that needs to be told with a theme that emphasizes the challenges and impact of domestic abuse on families and the effect it has on children. The story itself centers around a divorced mother of four with a live-in boyfriend who gathers with a group of friends to plan a baby shower for a young co-worker. Kamps says the setting provides a springboard for sharing stories of tragedy, passion and despair with lighter shades of humor and moments of personal reflection. A portion of the proceeds from the $8 ticket price will benefit the local domestic violence shelter, PAVE. People Against Violent Environments Executive Director Jaime Kratz-Gullickson served as a consultant on “Mother Curtain” and applauds Kamps for painting a mosaic of domestic violence with a palette themes than run the gamut. Kamps says she hopes the play sparks positive discussion about all forms of domestic violence. The audience is invited to stay after the program for an informal talkback session with local experts. “Mothers Curtain” is on the stage of the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater tonight at 7pm with matinee shows tomorrow and Sunday at 3pm. Kamps cautions that for authenticity, there is some offensive language and parental guidance is suggested. For more information: www.bdact.org/ www.facebook.com/bdact/ twitter.com/#!/bdact or call (920) 887-2093

Rindfleisch Appeals For Change of Venue

4/13/12 - A former top Walker aide in Milwaukee County asked a state appeals court Thursday to move her criminal misconduct trial to Columbia County. Kelly Rindfleisch of Columbus is one of five former aides and associates charged in a John Doe investigation into Milwaukee County government when Governor Scott Walker was the county executive. Rindfleisch says a 2007 state law allows officials charged with ethics violations to be tried in their home counties instead of where the alleged crimes were committed. By moving her case to Portage, Rindfleisch said there would be less media speculation and interference in her criminal case. But a Milwaukee judge turned down her request to move the case in late March. Rindfleisch is charged with four felony misconduct charges for allegedly using her work hours in the county executive’s office to campaign for Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate Brett Davis in 2010.

Substation Trespassing Suspect Arraigned

4/13/12 - A Neosho-area man entered a “not guilty” plea at arraignment yesterday to charges that he broke into the We Energies substation in the Town of Rubicon and attempted to steal copper. Christopher Wolf’s arrest last month came after two nights of surveillance by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department. There had been five break-ins in two weeks time where copper wire was taken. Employees first reported seeing two men on surveillance cameras walking on the Station Road property around 8:45pm on March 4. Deputies tracked footprints with a K-9 unit but were unsuccessful. Just after midnight on Monday, an alarm was tripped, a surveillance camera was broken and two men could be seen on the property. Wolf was reportedly found hiding in a dumpster but the second suspect was never found. The 22-year-old is charged with felony Criminal Damage to property and misdemeanor Attempted Theft, which carry a combined maximum prison sentence of eight years, upon conviction.

OWI Chase Results In 18 Month Sentence

4/13/12 - A Montello man, who was ejected from his motorcycle while running from Dodge County authorities, will spend 18 months behind bars. 29-year-old Benjamin Wills pleaded to felony Fleeing an Officer and Second Offense Operating While Intoxicated and had four misdemeanors dismissed. Wills sparked a high speed chase in the northbound lanes of Highway 151 in Columbus last August. Because of highway construction and Dodge County Fair traffic, Columbus officers called-off their pursuit three miles south of Beaver Dam. Shortly after that, a Dodge County sheriff’s deputy stationed near County G saw a motorcycle traveling the speed limit, without a license plate, that matched the suspect’s description and he initiated a traffic stop. Wills sped away then crashed at a T-intersection near Highway 16/60. He was ejected but immediately sprang to his feet and began talking with the deputy before going into convulsions. Wills was flown from the scene to UW Hospital Madison. His blood alcohol level was just over the legal limit for driving at point-zero-eight-four. Wills was on probation for a May 2010 high speed chase, when he ran from deputies in Dodge County, the same night he ran from deputies in Green Lake County. Wills crashed his vehicle in a Fox Lake construction site, fled on foot and called police to report his vehicle stolen. However, video footage proved Wills was the driver. Three of the charges that were dismissed were Bail Jumping charges related to the earlier chase. Wills was also sentenced to two years of extended supervision and he lost his driving privileges.

Waupun Man Gets More Jail Time For Child Assaults

4/13/12 - Add another 90 days to the jail sentence of a Waupun man who continued to prey on young girls even after being sentenced for child sex crimes. Alezander Ramirez was charged in October, one week after being sentenced for his first child assault. That second incident involved a girl even younger than his first victim. In December, Ramirez had three felony Bail Jumping charges added following a third incident involving three underage girls in a stolen car. The 18-year-old yesterday pleaded “no contest” to reduced misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to 90-days in jail. On Tuesday, a judge revoked a deferred prosecution agreement related to his first offense, and Ramirez was ordered to spend seven months in jail. The newest sentence will not being until the previous sentence is complete.

Prosser Demands Bradley Withdrawl

4/13/12 - State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser demanded yesterday that Justice Ann Walsh Bradley withdraw from Prosser’s disciplinary case. The state Judicial Commission charged Prosser last month with violating the judicial code of ethics, for allegedly putting a choke-hold on Bradley last June. And a panel of three appeals judges will make a recommendation to the Supreme Court about Prosser’s possible discipline. Prosser filed a formal motion today asking Bradley to recuse herself from the case. Prosser said she was a direct witness to the incident – and she has orchestrated a public relations campaign against him. Bradley has not commented. Prosser claims that he was just trying to defend himself when Bradley charged toward him. The incident occurred the night before the Supreme Court issued its controversial ruling which upheld the state law that virtually ends collective bargaining for most public employee unions in Wisconsin. A few days after the Judicial Commission’s charges, Prosser hinted that he might ask all the other Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves, thus dismissing his case.

Briggs & Stratton Moving Production To Milwaukee

4/13/12 - Briggs-and-Stratton says it would move some of its parts distribution work from McDonough Georgia to suburban Milwaukee this summer. The maker of small engines for things like lawnmowers said it would expand its Menomonee Falls parts facility from 300-thousand square feet to around 450-thousand. Once the expansion is finished in mid-July, up to 15 new jobs would be added. Briggs says it will lay off four full-timers and 65 part-timers once the distribution work leaves Georgia.