Top Stories April 20th

Man Hit With Concrete in Fair Condition

4/20/12 - Authorities in Madison say a large chunk of concrete that crashed through a driver’s windshield this week was probably kicked up by another vehicle. Dane County sheriff’s deputies said the softball-sized rock appeared to come from a broken-up section of Highway 151 in Madison. 50-year-old Kevin Droz of Fall River suffered a head injury on Tuesday, when the concrete smashed through the front glass while he was driving. He was in the northbound lanes of Highway 151 at the time. State transportation workers have repaired the concrete, which appeared to be broken up by an expansion joint under the pavement. Droz was still hospitalized in fair condition at last word.

4,300 Jobs Lost Last Month

4/20/12 - Wisconsin lost jobs in March for the first time this year – and the numbers provided another talking point as the recall campaigns pick up. State officials said an estimated 43-hundred private sector jobs were lost last month, after about 20-thousand jobs were added in the first two months of the year. Republican Scott Walker’s camp says the economy is turning around, but there’s still some work to do. Walker’s aides pointed yesterday to a new survey by the Conference Board, which shows that the number of job openings in Wisconsin is increasing. They say it bodes well for the state’s job picture this spring. But the two leading Democrats in the May eighth recall primary said Walker’s virtual end to public union bargaining has created an unrest that’s made private employers uneasy. Walker himself said in Illinois on Tuesday that jobs will shoot up like a rocket after the June fifth recall final, which he expects to win. Democrat Tom Barrett said Walker’s correct in saying that the political unrest caused the latest job loss but quote, “He caused the unrest.” Democrat Kathleen Falk said quote, “Governor Walker’s way continues to fail us on jobs.” U-W Madison economist Andy Feldman, who runs Badger-Stat-Dot-Org, says both Wisconsin and the nation are in a slow and steady recovery – but the job picture has been relatively flat.

Tornado Drill a Success

4/20/12 - Dodge County Emergency Management Director Joe Meagher says Thursday’s mock tornado drill went smoothly. The drill started with a mock tornado watch at 1pm, followed by a mock tornado warning at 1:45pm. Meagher says his department successfully sent out a series of tones to alert local media and trigger emergency personnel pagers. Tornado sirens also blared throughout Dodge County. There were no sirens sounded in Waupun, though, where the sirens are controlled by Fond du Lac County. Officials there opted not to sound tornado sirens because of the rainy weather. The drill is part of Tornado-and-Severe Weather Awareness Week and was meant to give Wisconsinites a chance to practice their tornado safety procedures.

Nelson Sentenced

4/20/12 - A former school administrator from Beaver Dam and Randolph was sentenced this week to five years in prison for having child pornography in his office at the New Holstein School District where he had served as superintendent. Christopher Nelson pleaded “no contest” in Calumet County court in March to one felony count and had four other charges dismissed but read into the record. The 59-year-old Nelson spent 20 years in the Randolph school district before moving to Beaver Dam in 1994 where he served as Assistant Principal until 2000. He then left Beaver Dam for the Madison School District where authorities said he escaped prosecution in 2005, after he was caught looking at adult pornography on a school computer. The school district let him resign, and a state investigation later found no reason to revoke Nelson’s teaching license. He went on to become Superintendent of the New Holstein School District, and was in that position during his January 2011 arrest at a school boards convention in Milwaukee. Nelson was sentenced last June to five years in prison for soliciting an undercover police officer he thought was a 15-year-old boy. The arrest led to the discovery of a flash drive with child images at his office in New Holstein. The five-year sentence handed down this week will run at the same time as the five-year sentence handed down in Milwaukee County but will keep Nelson in prison ten months longer. Nelson is prohibited from ever again holding a teachers license.

Magsamen Gets Prison Time

4/20/12 - An Oconomowoc man was sentenced yesterday to eight years in prison for his role in an armed invasion at a Watertown home. 20-year-old Michael Magsamen pleaded “no contest” in February to five felony charges including Armed Robbery with the Use of Force and False Imprisonment as a Party to a Crime. Eight other felony charges were dismissed but read into the record. According to prosecutors, Magsamen and his accomplice, 36-year-old Lawrence Davis of Oconomowoc, armed themselves with a pellet gun and an ax handle, donned masks and forced their way into a residence. While there, Davis struck several people with the ax handle and restrained the nine victims while he and Magsamen searched for the residence for valuables. They were eventually chased from the home after some of victims recognized one of the robber’s voices. Davis was previously sentenced to 12 years in prison and five years on extended supervision. In addition to eight years in prison, Magsamen was sentenced to eight years of extended supervision.

McIntosh in Court

4/20/12 - A Johnson Creek man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday on charges that severely injuring a passenger in a car accident. Brodie McIntosh is charged with Reckless Driving and Hit and Run, Causing Great Bodily Harm for a February 2011 accident in the Town of Lowell. Two emergency officials from the Lowell-Reeseville-area are accused of help him cover it up. According to the criminal complaint, the 26-year-old dropped a cigarette while driving 93mph on County G, leaned down to pick it up and put the car in the ditch. His passenger sustained a head injury. Off-duty Reeseville firefighter Nicholas Gay allegedly responded after received a private call from McIntosh and drove the victim away from the scene. The 31-year-old Gay has a jury trial scheduled next month for two misdemeanor counts of Failure to Report a Crime and Obstructing an Officer. Gay is said to have enlisted 38-year-old Rhonda Gibson of Reeseville, who is the coordinator of the Lowell-Reeseville First Responders. Gibson allegedly drove McIntosh away from the scene to his mother’s tavern in Waterloo. Attorneys for Gibson have asked a judge to dismiss a felony charge of Hit and Run, as a Party to a Crime and misdemeanor Failure to Report a Crime. When questioned, both Gay and Gibson allegedly said they should have contacted authorities. McIntosh will be arraigned on May 23.

Suspects in Coin Box Break-In Waive Prelims

4/20/12 - Two North Carolina men have waived their rights to preliminary hearing on charges that they tried to break into the coin box at a Beaver Dam car wash. 30-year-olds Steven Ellis and Tommy Holden of Lexington, North Carolina are charged with felony Possession of Burglary Tools and misdemeanor Attempted Theft and Criminal Damage to Property. Authorities say officers were dispatched to the Shell Travel Mart at 821 Park Avenue at 1:15am on April 8 after the clerk saw two men trying to pry open the coin box in the car wash. The pair was reportedly found in possession of crowbars, screwdrivers and a pillowcase filled with $369.73 in loose change. They also found an atlas with dozens of locations listed in several states with notations by cities that said “difficult” and “easy.” Deputy Police Chief Dan Schubert says their investigation continues with several other police agencies in Wisconsin that had similar thefts and break-ins at carwashes. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum penalty of nearly five years in prison. The two will be arraigned next month.

Waupaca Student Charged with Bringing Gun to School

4/20/12 - A Waupaca High School student has been charged in juvenile court, after she allegedly brought a gun to school this week. A delinquency petition was filed yesterday against a 16-year-old girl on three weapons’ charges. School officials say she’s been suspended, and an expulsion hearing will take place soon. She remains in custody for now. Waupaca Police Chief Tim Goke said the teen showed the gun to a friend after school on Tuesday. The friend later told an adult who called police. Investigators quoted the youngster as saying she brought the gun to school to scare school-mates who were harassing her – but she didn’t plan to shoot anybody. The chief said the gun was loaded when officers seized it.

Judge Sets Schedule in ID Law Lawsuit

4/20/12 - A Dane County judge has set a briefing schedule which will extend the lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s voter ID law almost two weeks past the general recall election in June 5. Judge David Flanagan says the questions are complex and he wants to give attorneys on both sides plenty of time to support their arguments. Flanagan has temporarily blocked the law from going into effect while he considers both points of view. A four-day bench trial was wrapped up today, then the judge told both sides to submit their final positions outlined in briefs to be due June 18. The recall election is set for June 5.

Van Hollen Defends Merit Pay Increases

4/20/12 - Wisconsin’s attorney general is defending almost 300-thousand-dollars in merit pay increases for 93 state Justice Department employees. Spokeswoman Dana Brueck said the bonuses were needed to keep specialized employees who require substantial investments for training – like D-N-A analysts. The merit hikes came just a few months after state workers got smaller paychecks in order to put more toward their health insurance and retirements. Attorney General J-B Van Hollen said it makes no sense to continually hire staff members, only to lose them to higher-paid private firms once they become productive. Other state agencies are not allowed to grant such bonuses. Former Governor Jim Doyle rescinded merit pay hikes for state workers in 2008. Governor Scott Walker re-instated them a month ago – but the bonuses are still on hold until more money becomes available. Walker said he cannot control the bonuses given by departments run by elected officials like Van Hollen.