Top Stories September 20th

Victim Identified in Truck Accident

9/20/11 - Authorities have identified the man killed when the truck he was working on rolled over him as 24-year-old Matthew Voight of Reeseville. Sheriff Todd Nehls says Voight, a 2005 graduate of Beaver Dam High School, was working under the truck in a driveway with a steep incline and didn’t have the trucks tires blocked. Nehls says as Voight was attempting to disconnect the drive-shaft, the truck rolled forward, pinning him underneath. A visitation for Voight has been set for tomorrow from 5 until 8 at the Reeseville Community Center and again on Thursday from 9:30 until 11 a.m, with the service following at the center.

BD School Board Looks at New Graduation Date Setting Policy

9/20/11 - A plan proposed last night to the Beaver Dam School Board would change how the graduation date for high school seniors is determined. . Currently, graduation takes place the Sunday following the last day of school, and Principal Mark DiStefano says that presents some challenges for school officials when working on logistics for the ceremony. Under the plan presented to the board, if the last day of class took place on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, graduation would take place the previous Sunday. If the last day was a Thursday or Friday, the ceremony would be held on that Sunday. The board is expected to take action on the plan next month. The graduation ceremony for the class of 2012 will take place on June 3rd.

Man Rushing To Family Emergency Charged With OWI Injury

9/20/11 - A Milwaukee man woke up to an early morning phone call this past April telling him that his step-father had died. The 20-year-old had spent the night before at a friends 21st birthday party in Oshkosh but immediately got in the car with his girlfriend and headed south on State Highway 41 to comfort his mother. While en route, around 6am, he hit a patch of black ice in the Town of Lomira, and his car rolled four or five times before coming to a rest. Neither was wearing a seatbelt. He was OK but his girlfriend was ejected. He dragged her from a bloody pool in the middle of the highway to the side of the road as a second car – unaware of the wreckage – struck their overturned vehicle. His 20-year-old girlfriend spent untold days at Froedtert Hospital in an induced coma in critical condition with numerous broken bones. Yesterday in a Dodge County courtroom, Tony Godbolt II made an initial appearance on charges related to that crash. Authorities say Godbolt’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit for driving at point-zero-nine-five (.095). Witnesses on the road that morning say they were driving 70mph and Godbolt’s vehicle flew past them. Schedule III narcotics were allegedly found in his possession and Godbolt is said to have admitted to smoking pot the day before the accident. Godbolt is charged with three felony counts of Injury By Intoxicated Use of a Vehicle and a misdemeanor count of Operating Without A Valid License. If he is convicted, the charges carry a combined maximum term of over 38 years in prison. A signature bond was set at $1000 yesterday and a preliminary hearing is scheduled in November.

Dennis Dies from Injuries Sustained in Bike Accident

9/20/11 - A former national distance-running champion died yesterday after his bicycle was struck from behind by a suspected drunk driver near Fond du Lac. 36-year-old Eugene Dennis of Fond du Lac died just three days after he was sentenced in a sex case at Fond du Lac High School where he used to teach. Sheriff’s deputies said Dennis was wearing a helmet, and had a light on his bike, when it was rear-ended by a motor vehicle driven by a 22-year-old Fond du Lac man. It happened Sunday night on County Trunk “W-H” in the town of Taycheedah. Alcohol is suspected. The driver was sent to jail, and charges are pending. Dennis was supposed to begin a six-month jail term later this week. He was also put on three years’ probation last Friday, and was told to register as a sex offender. Dennis was convicted of misconduct in office for having a sexual relationship with a female high school student in 2009 and last year. Dennis was a distance runner at U-W Madison, and later with the Wisconsin Runner Racing Team. He won the U-S-A Men’s five-kilometer title in 2003.

Clyman Couple Sentenced For Starving Teenager

9/20/11 - A Clyman couple will spend some time behind bars for not providing adequate food to their teenage daughter. 46-year-old Kathryn Kreier – the teen’s stepmother – was originally charged with two felony counts of Physical Abuse of a Child while the victim’s biological father, 44-year-old Kenneth Kreier, was charged with a single felony count Failure to Prevent Child Abuse. Both pleaded “no contest” to reduced charges yesterday. Kathryn Kreier will spend 60 days in jail. Kenneth Kreier will spend 30 days behind bars but was placed on deferred prosecution and could avoid a felony record if he stays out of trouble for the next year. According to the criminal complaint, refrigerators and cupboards in the home were locked for over a year. School officials were prohibited from providing a hot lunch to the child, who was removed from the home in December of 2008 after a 20-percent loss is body weight. The judge is permitting the couple to have unsupervised contact with the child.

Sun Prairie Man Charged In Waupun Business Burglary

9/20/11 - A Sun Prairie man is accused of burglarizing a Waupun business owned by his brother. Mark Mueller had a signature bond set at $1500 yesterday in Dodge County court. The 26-year-old is accused of stealing an amplifier from Rapture Sales and Service in April and pawning the item in Madison. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum prison sentence of over 13 years.

Spooner Contractor Accused of Ripping-Off Mayville Woman

9/20/11 - A contractor from St. Croix Falls is accused of ripping-off a Mayville woman on a roofing job. 38-year-old Chad Jones, who operates No Worries Construction out of Spooner, allegedly failed to return a $4100 deposit for roofing work that was supposed to take place in 2008. If convicted, the charge of Theft in a Business Setting carries a maximum prison sentence of three and-a-half years.

BD Garbage Contract Extension Approved in Committee

9/20/11 - The Beaver Dam Operations Committee last night approved a five year contract extension with the city’s current garbage and recycling provider. Director of Facilities David Stoiser says the contract with Veolia Environmental calls for an increase of five cents per household per month, which translates to roughly $3300. The committee rejected an offer that would have saved the city that $3300 but it would have cost one of the two curbside bulk pick-ups currently provided. The city is currently paying Veolia $677,000 a year with annual increases based on the Consumer Price Index but capped at three percent. Stoiser says under the proposed contract that would stay in place, plus the city could freeze the CPI rate during any one year of the five-year contract. The matter will be considered by the full council at their October 3 meeting.