Top Stories, March 19th

Hustisford Man Injured In Car Vs. Tree

3/19/10 - A Hustisford man was flown from the scene of a one-vehicle accident last night. Scott D. Macmillan was traveling on Tweedy Street in the Town of Hustisford just before midnight when he struck a tree. The 45-year-old Macmillan was transported by Flight For Life to Froedtert Hospital and was cited for his third OWI.

Weyker Sentenced To 30 Years

3/19/10 - A rural Watertown man, convicted on a variety sexual assault charges, was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in prison. Peter Weyker molested a teenage girl in July of last year on his farm near Watertown. The victim reported that the incident was the latest in a long line of sexual assaults dating back to 2006. The State Crime Lab connected a trace of DNA on the victim to Weyker. When police executed a search warrant at the residence, they discovered two camera’s in the bathroom that contained video of his victim and other teenage children. After a five-day jury trial, the 43-year-old Weyker was convicted in August on charges of Making A Visual Representation of Nudity for the camera’s, and also convicted of Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 16. Dodge County District Attorney Bill Bedker says “the public expects (his office) to go after dangerous sex predators with all of its prosecutorial might.” Bedker credited the hard work of law enforcement, the jury and the brave kids who came forward to testify for bringing justice to the innocent child victims. Weyker was also sentenced to 24 years of extended supervision and must register as a sex offender.

Charges Against Jefferson Co Man Dismissed

3/19/10 - A state appeals court threw out a sexual assault conviction Thursday against a Jefferson County man. The Fourth District Appellate Court in Madison said a judge was wrong to admit video evidence in a case against 28-year-old Miguel Marinez Junior. He was convicted of molesting his four-year-old step-daughter in late 2007, and was sent to the prison in Black River Falls for a six-year sentence. On the videotape, the girl accused Marinez of burning her hands before the sexual contact. Circuit Judge Randy Koschnick allowed the tape as evidence, saying it helped identify Marinez and provided context in the molestation case. But the appellate court said the hand-burning was not connected to the sexual assault, and therefore it should have not been used against Marinez.

Klopotek Sentenced To 40 Days For Theft

3/19/10 - A Beaver Dam man who stole a flatbed trailer from the former Pick ‘N Save parking lot two years ago will spend 40 days in jail. Bryan Klopotek pleaded “no contest” to amended misdemeanor Theft charges for taking the 2003 hydraulic lift trailer valued at $8800 in October of 2007. His soon-to-be ex-wife contacted authorities to report the theft, which she says he confessed to her while he had been drinking. The 50-year-old stored the stolen item at his parent’s property. Klopotek was also placed on probation for one year.

Woman Gets Probation For Child Abuse

3/19/10 - A Watertown woman will spend one year on probation after throwing a tantrum in a motel room and injuring three children. Kellie Jean Doerr pleaded “no contest” to a felony child abuse charge and a related misdemeanor. The judge approved a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the 41-year-old so if she stays out of trouble for the next year the felony count will be dropped. According to the criminal complaint, Doerr was engaged in a physical confrontation with a teenage girl in January and threw a wooden chair in a fit of rage. That chair struck a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old who were sitting on a bed inside the small motel room. The younger child got a bloody lip. The teen sustained a small cut above her eye after being pushed over a bed into a nightstand. Doerr was trying to sleep and was upset that the light was on. The judge also ordered counseling.

Columbus SD Hires Supt Search Firm

3/19/10 - The Columbus public will have a chance to speak out on the choice of their next Superintendent of Schools. The School Board O.K.’d a search firm contract Thursday with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB). The WASB Schedule of Activities involves District staff and the public in choosing the new top administrator. According to Dr. Louis Birchbauer the WASB will be doing recruitment advertising, activity scheduling, application screening and correspondence with candidates. Birchbauer will be leading a number of April focus group sessions attempting to determine what kind of candidate will be the best fit for Columbus. In order to receive candid input the schedule includes open sessions with the staff and public where Board Members are not included. Birchbauer and the Board have set up a schedule of recruiting and interviewing activities in hopes of announcing a successor to Jansen by June 21st.

DPI: Free Lunch Numbers Climb Across State

3/19/10 - The number of Wisconsin public school students who qualify for free or reduced meals continues to climb. According to the Department of Public Instruction, 39% of students in the state are now eligible for the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs, a 3.5% increase over last year. The Beaver Dam School District went from being just below the statewide average last year, to just above it at 40.8% this year. Dodgeland increase over 7% from last year to 36.5%. Horicon is up nearly 8% to 33%. Mayville was at 19% last year and are providing free and reduced lunches to 28% of their students now. Randolph is up 10% to 41%. Watertown had a 6% increase to 40%. Waupun is up 4% and has 32% of its students on the program. Columbus held steady at 24%. While there are less schools enrolled in the program this year, the number of kids receiving meals went by 26,000 students statewide.

Jobless Bill Effects Unseen In Wisconsin

3/19/10 - A new law that’s designed to put the unemployed back to work won’t have much of an impact in Wisconsin. That’s what employers and economists said, after President Obama signed the measure into law yesterday. Companies will not have to pay Social Security taxes for their new workers through the end of the year. And companies will get a one-thousand-dollar tax credit for each employee who stays on the job for a year. Scott Seljan, who owns a plastics factory in Lake Mills, says the demand for his product will determine how many people he hires – but the tax break is still a move in the right direction. David Ward, the head of North-star Economics in Madison, says the incentive is marginal because it’s so small. Jeff Baum of Wisconsin Aviation says it proves that government does not understand how a business operates. Brian Sullivan, who runs a precision machine business in Mequon, says it might help call back some workers who were laid off. The president says many firms are on the fence about adding a few people – and the jobs bill should make their decisions easier.

Officials Remain Tight Lipped About Scocos Firing

3/19/10 - Nobody involved has commented on the release of e-mails which showed that the state Veterans Affairs Board might have broken the law in the way they fired vets’ secretary John Scocos. The A-P reported yesterday that a majority of the five board members secretly strategized a week before last November’s vote on firing Scocos which included a “P-R plan” to explain it to the public. The state Justice Department has not addressed the case specifically, but it says that agreeing on a specific action before a formal meeting could violate the Open Meetings Law. Scocos accused the board of breaking that law when he filed suit in December to try and win his job back. Scocos attorney James Troupis said he has not seen the e-mails. A board member refused comment because of the pending lawsuit. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin State Journal said Governor Jim Doyle’s office reportedly advised a board member to openly criticize Scocos to quote, “ensure public exposure prior to the actual removal vote.” And even though Doyle has denied any role in firing Scocos, the paper said a department lawyer had urged a board member to quote, “demonstrate exactly what the governor’s office was requesting – namely that there are lot of reasons for doing this.”

BDAAA Book Sale Underway

3/19/10 - A fundraising book sale for the Beaver Dam Area Arts Association continues today at the Heritage Village Mall. Arts Association Board President Julie Fleming says books are marked as low as 25 cents and there are also video tapes, DVDs and CDs. She says the money is needed to help with operating expenses. The Association will accept book donations through 1 o’clock Friday afternoon. The book sale closes out with a $1 bag sale Saturday from 10am to 1pm. After that, all the books will be donated to the Kiwanis Club’s Tanzanian Education Project.

BD DPW: No Spring Leaf Pick-Up

3/19/10 - The Beaver Dam Department of Public Works is reminding city residents that there is no leaf pick-up in the spring. There had sometimes been spring leaf pick-up in the past when snow piled up in fall before the city cleared leaves from the street terrace. Leaf, lawn rakings and garden waste are only collected at an announced time in the autumn. City residents can take yard waste to the public works garage between 7am and 3:30pm weekdays. On April 3, the garage will also be open Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. No waste of any kind is accepted from outside city limits.