Top Stories, January 29th

Welch Waives Prelim, Asks For New Judge

10/29/10 - The man who allegedly killed an Oconomowoc woman and later escaped from custody was bound over for trial Thursday. Testimony was about to begin in Justin Welch’s preliminary hearing in Waukesha County, when his lawyer decided to waive the proceeding. The 26-year-old is charged in the stabbing death of Kimberly Smith last October. Authorities say Welch was hired by a man involved in a bitter child custody dispute with Smith. Future court proceedings are on hold, because Welch has asked for a different judge to replace Linda Van De Water. Had evidence been presented yesterday, District Attorney Brad Schimel said he would have offered D-N-A samples, and reports from the State Crime Lab which linked Welch to the slaying. And Schimel said he would have produced a witness who was in the area around the time of the incident. Welch was riding in a transport van earlier this month when he escaped at a rest stop in Arkansas. He was recaptured just over a day later, when a truck driver gave Welch a ride, saw that he was carrying a gun, and discreetly alerted police.

Suspected Pesticide Poisoner Proceeds To Trial

1/29/10 - A Watertown man will proceed to trial on charges that he poisoned his wife with weed killer. Peter Zubke is charged with a felony count of Placing Objects in Edibles, Domestic Abuse for allegedly slipping the herbicide into her soda and coffee over a three to four week period ending in mid-June. Yesterday, the 54-year-old waived his right to a preliminary hearing. The victim says she became suspicious because her soda looked like dishwater soap, was “very sudsy” and tasted “bitter.” Home brewed coffee was said to be “foggy” and store-bought coffee tasted like bleach or chemicals. She also found a bottle weed killer under her kitchen sink and while her husband does lawn work for a living, she noted that he never used that particular type of poison and typically kept herbicides in the garage. Zubke denied the allegations and told investigators instead that his wife has a “bad tongue” and does not have very good taste buds. According to the criminal complaint, he told his wife he was trying to dilute the chemicals in the coffee pot before spraying the weed killer outside their home. He reportedly said he must have forgotten to clean out the coffee pot. Toxicology tests from the State Crime Lab confirm the chemicals found in the coffee and soda were the same ones found in the bottle of weed killer kept under the kitchen sink. If convicted, the felony charge carries a maximum sentence of three and-a-half years in prison. Zubke has an arraignment hearing set for next month.

BD Man Bound Over on Sexual Assault Charges

1/29/10 - Probable cause was found yesterday to bind over a Beaver Dam man on charges that he sexually assaulted an 8-year-old boy. According to the criminal complaint, the victim was staying at Michael J. Scott’s home late last month when the alleged incident occurred. Beaver Dam police searched Scott’s South Vita Avenue residence and arrested him on December 28. The 34-year-old faces over 100 years in prison if convicted on three charges, including First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 12, among others. Scott is being held on a $50,000 cash bond.

Drug Dealer Sentenced

1/29/10 - A Horicon man will spend 40 months in prison on drug distribution charges. Raymond Crego pleaded “no contest” to one felony charge and had a second dismissed but read into the record. The 37-year-old sold an ounce of cocaine and 98 ecstasy pills to undercover agents last fall. Crego was also sentenced to eight years of extended supervision.

Beaver Dam Construction Debris Ignites Dump Truck

1/29/10 - Debris that was being hauled away from a Beaver Dam construction site caught fire just outside of Waupun Wednesday. Fire Chief Jeff Berry says they were called out to the Highway 151 and 26 interchange to a report of materials in a dump truck that had ignited. It is not known what caused the debris to catch fire. The truck suffered extensive damage to the cab area. No one was injured. The fire department was on the scene for about an hour.

Group Assembles For Columbus Pioneer Refunds

1/29/10 - Residents who subscribed to the short-lived “Columbus Pioneer” newspaper are still trying to get their money back. The Pioneer ceased publication after only six issues in January and February last year. Several people subscribed for a full year or two of weekly Pioneer publications. Local media, City Police and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection have been unable to find resolution to citizen requests to recover their $32 or $60 dollar subscriptions. Organizers have set a second public meeting at City Hall today (Fri) at 10:30 to discuss options in getting their money back. Spokesperson Pam Duborg said that the state and local efforts have netted NO response from the Hayward Wisconsin publisher. Efforts to reach the editor, Joe Morey of Hayward, have been unsuccessful.

No Aerators On BD Lake This Year

1/29/10 - Aerators will not be needed on Beaver Dam Lake this year. Doug Sackett with the Lake Improvement Association says current oxygen levels in three different locations were much higher than the average for late January samplings. Sackett says its good news as evidenced by the positive reports he’s received from fishermen who have been on the ice for the past few weeks. The depth of the ice on the lake is estimated at between nine inches and 14 inches. Sackett says the weekend rain helped add to the oxygen levels. Aeration was needed for the past two years on Beaver Dam Lake, though they were not needed for the three years prior. The units are used when oxygen drops to a level that would be dangerous to the health of the lake and its fish population. The machine circulates water in such a way that it thins the ice for as much as a mile around. There is an aeration unit out on Fox Lake near Maple Point. That area been cordoned off with yellow rope and orange posts every 25 to 30ft.

Waukesha Hires Prosecutor With Stimulus Funds

1/29/10 - Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel says he will use federal stimulus dollars to hire a second prosecutor to work on drug cases. The $219,000 will pay for the prosecutor and expenses of the office for three years. Schimel told the Criminal Justice Collaborating Council this week the extra prosecutor will cut the time it takes for drug cases to make their way through the court process.

Carbon Monoxide Detector Mandate Forwarded

1/29/10 - Wisconsin senators voted Thursday to require all one-and-two-family homes in the state to have carbon monoxide detectors. The measure was passed on a voice vote, and the Assembly was expected to take it up later on. The bill would require C-O detectors on every level of a house, including the basement. But they would not have to be placed in attics or storage areas. And there’s no penalty for not complying. The new mandate would take effect in February of next year. Officials who inspect new homes will check to see if the detectors are there. Owners and renters of existing buildings could ask for inspections. Also today, senators voted 21-to-12 to raise the amount of income and assets criminal defendants can have in order to qualify for a public defender.