Top Stories, March 25th

Judge To Decide Davis’ Fate

3/25/10 - A former Fox Lake Correctional Institution inmate, who allegedly attacked two guards with a claw-hammer, will plead his case directly to a judge next month. Judge Andrew Bissonnette this week accepted a request by Terrance Davis to waive a jury trial and proceed to a court trial. The 51-year-old pleaded “not guilty by mental defect” last June to charges of First Degree Intentional Homicide. Judge Bissonnette also reaffirmed a prior ruling that denied Davis a third mental evaluation. Davis allegedly assaulted the guards in the prison’s furniture-making shop in November 2008. A 52-year-old officer sustained head injuries and a broken arm and a 38-year-old guard required surgery for a fractured skull. Davis has been in prison since he killed two Milwaukee police officers 24 years ago when the officers walked into a drug deal. He faces up to 80-years in prison if found guilty. A three-day court trial is set to begin April 7.

Plea Deal Reached In Police Chase

3/25/10 - A Fall River man who lead authorities on a high-speed chase that at times reached speeds of 130-miles per hour has entered into a plea agreement. Peter Brockman pleaded “no contest” to felony charges of Fleeing an Officer and Bail Jumping and had a felony possession charge and two misdemeanors dismissed but read into the record. Mayville police attempted to pull over Brockman for a broken taillight on November 5. A chase ensued that started on Highway Y and continued to Highway 49 before the suspect lost control of his vehicle on East Main Street in Waupun. The vehicle jumped a curve before coming to rest about five-feet from a residence. The 24-year-old abandoned the vehicle and took off on foot. He managed to elude officers and a K-9 unit but was taken into custody the next morning after being spotted at a gas station using a pay phone. Brockman has a sentencing hearing scheduled for April 30.

100 Days For Drunken Chase

3/25/10 - A Beaver Dam man who was drunk and driving 115mph will spend 100 days in jail. Jesse Riesen pleaded “no contest” to his second OWI and amended misdemeanor charges of Obstructing an Officer and Disorderly Conduct. Fox Lake police officers say they tried to pull over Riesen for going 20 miles over the speed limit on State Street last August. According to the criminal complaint, the 30-year-old led authorities on a chase down County Road A that at times reached speeds in excess of 115mph. His blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit for driving. Riesen contended that his speed never exceeded 55mph on County A and says the officer started the pursuit from a parked position and maybe had to drive 115mph to catch up to him. In addition to having his license suspended for 18 months, Riesen will also spend 18 months with an ignition interlock device on his vehicle.

Taycheedah Prisoners Charged With Fraud

3/25/10 - Four prisoners are accused of trying to get state income tax credits for living in apartment units at the same time they were behind bars. Wendy Nelsen, Kristine Flynn, Amy Prelwitz, and Nicole Ousley are all at the Taycheedah women’s prison near Fond du Lac – and they’ve been charged with felony state tax fraud. Attorney General J-B Van Hollen announced the charges Wednesday. He said all four women claimed they were in living in apartments in 2008 in order to collect the Homestead tax credit, even though they were locked up in Taycheedah at the time. Ousley is due back in court April second, when a judge will decide if there’s enough evidence to order a trial. The other three defendants have similar hearings set for April 30th.

Chester Death Not Suspicious

3/25/10 - Authorities say the death of man found outside of a residence in the Town of Chester Tuesday afternoon is not considered suspicious. Officials with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department say a home owner hired the 50-year-old victim to cut down a tree in his yard on Milligan Road. The residents left for about an hour and half and when they came back they found the man lying face down near the tree. The medical examiner pronounced the man dead at the scene. A relative of the victim said he had been dealing with heart issues lately and believes that contributed to the death.

Aneurism Cause of 151 Wreck

3/25/10 - A driver’s medical condition apparently caused an accident on Highway 151 near Highway 33 yesterday afternoon. The Sheriff’s Department says 34-year-old Tina Keneven was injured when her car struck a guardrail. Officials say it appears Kenevan suffered a brain aneurism prior to the accident. She suffered minor injuries related to the crash but was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Madison to treat the aneurism. Traffic in the area was slowed for about a half-hour while workers cleaned up the accident.

Oshkosh Coroner Investigating Teen Deaths

3/25/10 - The coroner in Oshkosh is investigating the deaths of two teenagers who had short illnesses. Preliminary autopsy results showed that 17-year-old Kyle Stenberg of Oshkosh died last Saturday from a bacterial infection. That was nine days after 16-year-old Megan Hanson passed away after a brief illness. Winnebago County Coroner Barry Busby said Hanson died from natural causes, but he’s not sure what type of disease was involved.

Candidates Undecided On Board Size

3/25/10 - The two candidates for a Beaver Dam area seat on the Dodge County Board are both awaiting the recommendation of a special committee before taking a position on the issue of the size of the 37-member body. Incumbent MaryAnn Miller says some counties have downsized their boards and find little to no cost savings and may have even lost money. Challenger Jim Geidd says changing the size of the board won’t change the number of issues that would still need to be considered. Both Miller and Geidd pointed out that the diversity of opinion would also be lost with a reduction. There are four contested seats on the Dodge County Board this election.

4800 Jobs Created Last Month

3/25/10 - For the first time in four years, Wisconsin added jobs from a January to a February. State officials said 48-hundred actual net jobs were created last month. And on a seasonal basis, when things like winter building slowdowns are taken into account, 52-hundred jobs were added in February compared to the month before. The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate held steady at eight-point-seven percent. But state Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman said it’s clear that Wisconsin is moving toward a recovery. Total jobs were still 95-thousand fewer than in February of 2009. The biggest employment gains last month were in manufacturing, construction, and administrative-and-support services.

Lawmaker Seeking To Strengthen Recreational OWI Laws

3/25/10 - Some find state laws on drunk driving for boats, ATVs and snowmobiles very complicated. Randy Hardin of Sheboygan is chairman of the Governor’s State Trails Council. He says you almost have to know what phase the moon is in, to know what ticket to write. Hardin served on a task force which was charged with bringing some consistency to the current regulations. Legislation now being proposed would make 2nd offense for OWI on any recreational vehicle – boat, ATV or snowmobile – within 5 years a criminal offense. Currently, an operator has to get arrested for OWI twice on the specific type of vehicle within 5 years for it to be a 2nd offense and criminal. The bill also revokes recreational vehicle privileges for convicted drunk drivers.

State Law Grads Still Not Required To Take Bar

3/25/10 - Wisconsin residents who graduate from the state’s law schools still do not have to pass the bar-exam to get licensed in the Badger State. The policy remains intact, after a couple who challenged it reached a settlement to drop their lawsuit. The state agreed to pay 75-hundred-dollars to Corrine Wiesmueller to settle her case, and then Federal Judge Barbara Crabb of Madison dismissed the suit. Wiesmueller and her husband Christopher had said the policy violates the Interstate Commerce Clause by giving Wisconsin law students an unfair advantage over out-of-staters, who must pass the bar-exam before they can practice law in the state.

BD Brush Pick-Up Begins Next Thursday

3/25/10 - The Beaver Dam Department of Public Works will begin picking up brush and shrubbery cuttings next Thursday. Facilities Director Dave Stoiser says city residents that receive solid waste collection services can place neatly-piled, loose tree limbs and shrubbery cuttings at the street edge by 7am on their first waste collection day of the month. Shrubbery cuttings cannot exceed seven inches in thickness and eight feet in length. Stoiser says if there is enough room in the tree border, limbs should be stacked so that all cut ends are facing the street. Limbs and cuttings less than 12 inches in length can be placed in clear plastic bags or 32 gallon cans. Stoiser says they cannot be placed in Veolia waste carts. Yard waste can also be dropped off at the DPW garage on South Center Street, which after this weekend will be open on Saturdays. Brush pick-up continues once a month through the first collection day in November.