Saturday, May 12, 2012

Top Stories May 12th


Car vs Cow Injuries Five

5/12/12 - Five people were injured and a cow was killed in a chain-reaction accident on Highway 33 last night.  It happened around 11:30pm near Town Hall Road in the town of Herman.  Authorities say a 52-year-old driver struck the cow, with two vehicles also running over it.  Emergency personnel took five people to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.  Traffic in the area was backed up for while as workers cleared the debris.

Man Cited for Throwing Hammer at Driver

5/12/12 - A Waterloo man was cited Thursday after wielding a hammer in a road rage incident. Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls says a motorist called 9-1-1 to report that a car passed him and then stopped in the middle of County Highway T in Astico, forcing the motorist to stop his vehicle as well. A 44-year-old Waterloo man jumped out of his car waving a hammer yelling at the motorist to “get off the phone.” He then threw the hammer at the motorist, who quickly retrieved the tool and left scene. Deputies later tracked down both parties and the hammer-wielding man admitted to the offense saying he was following the other guy who was supposedly, talking on the phone drifting left of center. The hammer-wielding man was cite for Disorderly Conduct and cautioned to leave law enforcement and traffic stops to the authorities.

Persinger Gets Four Months in Jail

5/12/12 - A Mount Horeb man who led police on a traffic pursuit through two counties in March will spend four months in jail. In a Dodge County courtroom this afternoon (Fr), Steven Persinger pled to reduced misdemeanor charges of Failing to Stop for a Traffic Officer. According to the criminal complaint, the 25-year-old was in the process of moving from Minnesota to Wisconsin and was at his storage unit when he was observed by Randolph police, who say they found his being at a storage unit at 1am suspicious. The arresting officer took up to a half-hours time to verify that Persinger had two outstanding Columbia County arrest warrants. During that time, Persinger was said to be agitated by the delay. When the officer received confirmation on the warrants and asked him to exit the vehicle, Persinger closed the window, lit a cigarette and made a telephone call. He then drove out of the parking lot, stopping at stop signs, driving the speed limit, using his turn signal and operating in the correct lane of traffic. Fall River police eventually laid down road spikes and popped a tire bringing the pursuit to an end. Authorities then executed a high-risk traffic stop with guns drawn. Persinger remained on the phone until eventually surrendering without further incident. When informed that he had just committed a possible felony, Persinger was surprised, saying when he (quote) “ran from police in Minnesota it was just a misdemeanor.” The four month sentence will be served with Huber privileges and he was given two months of pre-sentence credit.

GOP State Convention This Weekend

5/12/12 - To earn the party’s endorsement this weekend, one of four Republican candidates for U.S. Senate has to gather 60 percent of the votes.  All four have been working to build support and all will speak to delegates at the state’s Republican Convention this afternoon before the vote is taken.  Earning the endorsement would mean access to financial support from the party, contacts for the campaign and access to additional networking.  The candidates are Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, hedge fund manager Eric Hovde, former Wisconsin Congressman Mark Neumann and former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson.  The race has been shoved into the background by the effort to recall Governor Scott Walker.  

Walker: ‘No Interest in Right-to-Work State’

5/12/12 - Governor Scott Walker says he has no interest in making Wisconsin a right-to-work state.  Walker says he wouldn’t let the Republican-controlled Legislature pass a bill making that change.  Video was released last week from January of last year showing Walker talking about taking a “divide and conquer” approach to dealing with Unions.  Walker’s political opponents say those comments point to his wishes to make Wisconsin a right-to-work state.  Walker backed a proposal law year which effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers, but he says he was worked well with private sector unions in the past.

Randolph Superintendent Candidates at Three

5/12/12 - The number of candidates for the open Superintendent seat in the Randolph School District is down to three.  The school board conducted interviews with the three finalists this week.  They include David Dyb, Jon Warmke and Steve Huebbe.  The board is expected to select one of them before May 30th and announce the decision by June 11th.  The person selected will replace Greg Peyer, who is leaving the district when his contract expires on June 30th. Peyer has been with Randolph for 5-years and says he intends to pursue other positions in education and in the business world.  

Parents Accused of Abusing Daughter Set Up Website

5/12/12 - A website registered by their attorney alleges Chad Chritton and Melinda Drabek-Chritton are the victims of lies by the government and by their teenage daughter.  The couple accused of torturing the 15 year old girl is now asking for donations to a legal defense fund.  The website says they have been falsely accused.  The biological mother of the teenage victim says that website makes her sick, calling it an outrage.  Prosecutors allege the couple tortured and starved Heidi Pease’s daughter, forcing her live in the basement of their Madison home.  The girl was found wandering the streets last February, dressed in pajamas and walking barefoot.  

Young Boy Killed in Farm Accident

5/12/12 - Marathon County deputies say a three year old boy was killed when he was run over by a skid steer loader.  The accident happened yesterday in the Town of Bern.  The farm equipment was being driven by the victim’s seven year old brother.  A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department says the seven year old was thought to have been giving three siblings a ride in the bucket when the younger boy fell out.  The victim was dead at the scene.  Authorities say they are still investigating, but they don’t expect to file charges in the accident.  Neighbors tell broadcast reporters five families work on that Wisconsin farm.

Former Fond du Lac Department Sentenced to Prison Time

5/12/12 - A former Fond du Lac city department head has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for embezzling more than 240 thousand dollars.  Mark Beveridge will also be on extended supervision for two years when he gets out.  A jury convicted Beveridge on 17 counts earlier this year, while acquitting him on eight others.  He has to pay restitution to the city of Fond du Lac of up to 70 thousand dollars.  Prosecutors said Beveridge gave his computer password to other workers in his information systems department so they could buy electronics and other items, like band equipment, a kangaroo outfit for a child, and a ham.  

Dawson Won’t Return as Head of WI Judicial Commision

5/12/12 - Chairman John Dawson’s term as head of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission will come to an end August 1st.  A letter was sent to Dawson yesterday saying the court had decided it didn’t want him back.  He leads the commission which is currently working to discipline Justice David Prosser.  The vote was closed, but comments afterward suggest the four conservative justices voted against Dawson, while three voted for him to remain.  The commission has brought complaints against three members of the conservative block on the court since 2007.  Prosser has been accused of violating judicial ethics when he allegedly wrapped his hands around Justice Ann Walsh Bradley neck during a heated exchange.

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