News- June 12, 2015

Steady Overnight Rainfall Boosts 24-Hour Totals

 

6/12/15 – South central Wisconsin appears to be getting the brunt of the heavy rains in the state.  Pardeeville in Columbia County recorded the most – over 3.2-inches.  White Creek in Adams County had two-and-a-half inches.  Whitehall in Trempealeau County had just over two-inches. Oshkosh was close to 1.9-inches. Jefferson had 1.7-inches.  The National Weather Service office at Sullivan recorded one-and-three-quarters. Madison had close to one-point-six.  Most of Wisconsin got soaked, thanks to a low-pressure system that moved in.  It brought a fast inch to parts of the southwest.  The storms went further south than expected, and the rain totals were on the low end of the 2-to-5 inches predicted for a number of areas.  The Weather Service had no flood watches or warnings in effect as of five o’clock this morning.  The current rains are expected to linger until this afternoon in central and southern areas.  Forecasters then expect dry weather until late tomorrow.  A new round of rain-storms is due in tomorrow night into Sunday.

 

Fox Lake Woman Charged With Stealing From Church

 

6/12/15 – A Fox Lake woman has been accused of forging a signature to steal money from a church.  Tricia Maleck is charged with felony counts of Forgery and Theft of Movable Property.  According to the criminal complaint, the 42-year-old was given the First Lutheran Church checkbook to manage a youth group’s funds.  She stopped attending church and being active with the youth group last summer.  Last August, she was asked to return the checkbook and financial statements.  That didn’t happen until months later.  It was realized that several checks written to the church were never deposited.  Deposit receipts and financial statements were not included.  Two cash withdrawals totaling $3,000, which involved the forging of another church administrator’s signature, allegedly happened last summer.  Maleck reportedly admitted to stealing a total of $4,000 from the church and forging the signature.  She told police she needed the money to help pay for her divorce.  If she is convicted of both charges, Maleck faces over nine years in prison.

 

Fox Lake Man Found Guilty Of Trying To Solicit Child

 

6/12/15 – A Fox Lake man who tried to arrange an encounter with an underage boy was convicted in a Dodge County courtroom yesterday. Robert Bistrick pled no contest to a felony count of Use of a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime. The 46-year-old responded to a post on the website Craigslist from someone claiming to be a 13-year-old Beaver Dam boy; it was actually an undercover agent from the Beaver Dam Police Department. At one point, he joked that “maybe this is some undercover sting operation.” The dialogue became extremely explicit and a meeting was arranged across from the Beaver Dam Middle School before school started. When Bistrick was arrested, he admitted everything and even offered the police advice on what to say and not say in future sting operations. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

 

Waupun Man Charged In Child Sex Crime Waives Prelim

 

6/12/15 – A Waupun man who was allegedly involved in multiple inappropriate actions involving minors waived his preliminary hearing in a Dodge County courtroom yesterday.  Robert Moungey is facing one felony count of First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of Twelve as a Party to a Crime.  According to an alleged note provided to authorities by his wife, Cassandra Scheuers, the 26-year-old had pornographic images of minors on his computer.  She also claimed that he engaged in inappropriate acts with an infant and forced her to have similar contact with a toddler.  If Moungey is convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison.  He’ll be arraigned on July 22.  Scheuers has a status conference on July 6.

 

Beaver Dam Man Accused Of Selling Drugs To Informant

 

6/12/15 – A Beaver Dam man has been accused of selling drugs to an informant.  Brian Fischer is charged with three felony counts of Delivering Narcotics.  The 39-year-old allegedly sold narcotic drugs to an undercover informant working for the Beaver Dam Police Department.  The deals took place at Fischer’s Lincoln Avenue apartment on three straight days in January.  If he is convicted of all counts, Fischer is facing up to 45 years in prison and could have his operator’s license suspended up to 15 years.

 

Menasha Shooter Had History Of Depression

 

6/12/15 – The man who killed three people and himself in Menasha had a long history of depression and alcoholism — plus thoughts of killing himself and sometimes others.  That’s what Menasha Police said in a report released Thursday on the May 3rd shootings on the Trestle Trail Bridge over Lake Butte des Morts.  Military veteran and U-W Oshkosh student Sergio Valencia del Toro shot and killed Jon Stoffel, his 11-year-old daughter Olivia, and Adam Bentdahl before turning the gun on himself.  Stoffel’s wife Erin is home from a hospital after surviving the attack.  She quoted the shooter as saying, “You didn’t see anything.”  Just before her husband died, he told the gunman, “May God forgive you.”  Del Toro chose random victims among a number of walkers and cyclists on the bridge.  Toxicology results showed that del Toro had a blood alcohol level of point-24 at the time — three times the legal limit for drunk driving.  The police report also said del Toro had a number of behavioral health interventions while in the Air Force. In October of 2010, he checked into a walk-in clinic because he was concerned about how intense his mood swings were.

 

McKinley Street Reconstruction Begins Today

 

6/12/15 – Motorists driving through downtown Beaver Dam will notice a shorter wait time at traffic signals after this summer’s reconstruction of Highway 33/ Front Street is complete.  The stop lights will have technology that detects cars and motorcycles at the intersection, triggering a green light. City Engineering Coordinator Ritchie Piltz says the traffic signals at four downtown corners will be wired together with fiber optics. Under the pavement, there will be magnetic loops that detect cars, trucks and motorcycles. If there is no cross-traffic the red lights will quickly turn green. Piltz says the actuator loops under the pavement that triggers the light cycle will replace a 40-year-old system that runs on a timer at each individual intersection. That’s means motorists used to have to sit through a full cycle of green or a full cycle of red, regardless of the amount of cross traffic. The lights on Highway 33 / Front Street will remain green during times of slow traffic patterns until there is cross traffic that prompts the change. The four intersections that will be coordinated are Maple and Center, Front and Center, Front and Spring and Maple and Spring.

 

Mayville Looking To Make Improvements To TAG Center

 

6/12/15 – The Mayville Common Council agreed to pay Architectural Design Consultants nearly $23,000 to design the planned TAG Center improvements at this week’s meeting.  The remodeling and expansion is being covered by the Bachhuber Foundation which recently donated $820,000 to start the project.  The foundation also agreed to cover any further costs.  Mayor Bob Redeker says the council asked the public for suggestions.  The Park Board narrowed the roughly fifty responses down to six.  Redeker says the goal of these improvements is to make the center more efficient and to drive up revenue.  The Park Board recently gave the architect the rough plan design.  It includes adding extra rooms, expanding both the gym and parking lot, and creating a new access door to the fitness center that will allow it to be open 24/7.  Redeker says a virtual golf simulator will be added that allows users to play many of the country’s famous courses.  Once the architect finishes drawing up the final blueprints, it must go to both the council and the foundation for approval.  Redeker anticipates groundbreaking sometime next spring.

 

New Columbus Middle School Principal Appointed

 

6/12/15 – Columbus Middle School has a new principal starting July 1st. Loren Glasbrenner was appointed to the administrative post this week. He will be replacing Middle School Principal Paul Kurth who resigned in the spring.  District Superintendent Bryan Davis says that Glasbrenner assumes the position with a “deep” set of qualifications. He has worked in both the Sun Prairie and Madison systems in both literacy and middle school education. The new middle school principal has also served as manager of the Columbus Aquatic Center for the past four years and is currently serving on the school board. There will be a vote for Glasbrenner’s replacement on the school board at the July meeting.