News – February 26, 2022


(Lomira) Cash bond was set at $75-thousand-dollars Friday for a Milwaukee man accused of threatening to kill his girlfriend while passing through Dodge County. Daniea Lanier allegedly struck the victim with a closed fist multiple times and even fired a gun while the two of them were inside the vehicle Thursday. According to the criminal complaint, the bullet passed through the glovebox. The vehicle was stopped near Lomira and Lanier was arrested. He denied anything had occurred. If convicted, the 45-year-old faces over 30 years behind bars. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 3rd.

(Trenton) A Fox Lake man charged with his 10th OWI offense entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment hearing this week. Daniel Kraft was allegedly drunk when he veered into the ditch in the Town of Trenton on New Year’s Day. When asked how much he had to drink, Kraft allegedly said (quote) “a lot” but that it did not matter because he was not driving. He also reportedly refused Field Sobriety Testing but he was taken to the Beaver Dam hospital for a blood draw. Kraft has nine OWI convictions between 1991 and 2003. If convicted, the 58-year-old faces up to 15 years in prison.

(Beaver Dam) A Price County man charged in connection to a 41-mile-long pursuit with Dodge County law enforcement entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment hearing this week. Aaron Reichenberger of Phillips allegedly sped away from a sheriff’s deputy after being clocked speeding on Highway 151 near the Town of Beaver Dam in May of 2020. Attempts to law down spike strips were unsuccessful and about 25 minutes after the chase began it was called off. According to the criminal complaint, Reichenberger had felony warrants in Wisconsin and possibly one out-of-state warrant for Fleeing. If convicted, the 37-year-old faces no more than three-and-a-half-years in prison.

(Juneau) The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office recently recognized the efforts of members of their department as well as the community. The Dodge County Executive Law Enforcement Association Award Banquet of 2022 was held this past week. Law Enforcement Officer of the Year was awarded to Deputy Jeremy McCarty for risking his life to save another’s who would have fallen from a bridge to her death on Highway 16. Correctional Officer of the Year was given to Kevin Kluck for taking swift action to decentralize an inmate which saved the life of a jail nurse. Support Persons of the Year was Denise Deibert for her dedication and positive attitude. Citizen of the Year was Benjamin Strieff for helping locate a missing child during the summer. Corporate Citizen of the Year was Shepy’s Auto Body in Beaver Dam for working on sheriff’s office vehicles which Sheriff Dale Schmidt notes saves taxpayers thousands of dollars. Youth of the Year was Armani Lopez. Schmidt says the four-year-old aided in lifesaving efforts of a family member.

(Dodge County) Vehicle sales in the region in the first month of the year were down when compared to 2021. According to the Waterloo-based industry-tracking firm Reg-Trak, there were 226 vehicle sales in Dodge County last month, down nearly 30-perecnt from the 319 sold in January of 2021. Car sales in the county decreased by 11 or 36-percent over last year. Truck sales also saw a drop, to 207 sold, a decline of 28-percent.

(Beaver Dam) Members of the Leadership Beaver Dam 2021-2022 class helped start a drive to collect personal care and feminine hygiene products for Church Health Services. Chuck Stangl, Renae Henning, and Ryan Henning set up collection containers around the Beaver Dam community in several businesses for the month of January and the beginning of February for citizens to drop off donated items. Officials with Church Health Services say these items will be placed in area school comfort closets, the Little Free Pantry located outside of their offices, and at other locations as needed.

(Lake Winnebago) The Department of Natural Resources have announced their new lake Winnebago System fisheries biologists. Both Margaret Stadig and Angelo Cozzola begin their new roles on February 14th. Stadig will focus primarily on managing the Lake Winnebago System lake sturgeon population. Cozzola will focus primarily on managing the highly sought-after walleye, as well as northern pike, muskellunge and other popular game fish on the Winnebago system.