(Waupun) A Waupun man charged with possessing illicit content of children makes his initial court appearance. Gregory Starnes is facing 10 felony counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Waupun police began investigating a CyberTip in November. According to the complaint, multiple illegal images were found in a cloud based storage that was reportedly tied back to Starnes. A search warrant was executed at his address this week (March 15th) and the 27-year-old was taken into custody. When questioned, Starnes allegedly admitted to opening links that were sent to him by others that contained child porn. He reportedly added that he accessed the links two or three times. If convicted, Starnes faces up to 250 years in prison. Cash bond was set at $2,000 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 23rd.
(Fond du Lac) Fond du Lac County authorities pursued a suspect for nearly five miles before takin him into custody early yesterday (Friday) morning. Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation on Highway 41 in the Friendship township around 2:41am. The vehicle did not yield and continued northbound on 41 at varying speeds. The suspect vehicle did eventually come to a stop on its own on the off ramp to Highway N. A 30-year-old Oshkosh man was arrested during a high-risk stop. He is facing felony Fleeing charges and other traffic-related violations. No vehicles were damaged and no one was injured during the pursuit.
(Wisconsin) The AAA Auto Club will come to the rescue of people who have had too much to drink this St. Patrick’s Day weekend and don’t want to risk driving home. The group’s “Tow and Go” program will be available free to members and non-members to give them a ride home and tow their vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius. The rides are confidential and only for one person. “Tow and Go” may not be available in all rural areas. St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest holidays on U.S. roadways. In 2020, more than 11,000 people died in drunken driving crashes. To access the service you need to call 855-286-9246. The service is available until 6am Monday morning.
(Watertown) Watertown Regional Medical Center has been recognized for its patient safety and experience. The hospital received a 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award and a 2023 Outstanding Patient Experience Award by Healthgrades. The distinction places Watertown Regional among the top 83, or top two-percent, of all short-term, acute-care hospitals as evaluated by Healthgrades.
(Green Lake) State Representative Alex Dallman will have a bigger role on the next State Budget as a member of Joint Finance Committee. He was not on the JFC during the last state budget, but is glad to have more of a say on this one. Dallman says the budget proposed by the governor last month would quickly use up the $7-billion-dollar surplus the state has and saddle it with debt. He says the Governor has proposed a 10-percent tax cut for the middle class but would tax businesses and others at a higher rate. It would also do away with tax credits for agriculture and manufacturing. The state lawmaker from Green Lake says in sheer volume the JFC’s proposed budget is 400 pages long while the governor’s is 1,800 pages long. Dallman notes Republicans and Democrats have some of the same goals when it comes to shared revenue and education but they must be careful not to create new programs that are unsustainable. State Representative Mark Born of Beaver Dam is co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee.
(Wisconsin) Dodge County hunters can soon purchase 2023 bonus spring turkey harvest authorizations. The sale will begin Monday (March 20th) in Zone 1. Dodge County is located in Zone 2 which authorizations will be available for sale on Tuesday (March 21st). Bonus harvest authorizations are $10 for residents and $15 for non-residents. Both residents and non-residents will have equal opportunities for purchase. In total, 101,924 bonus turkey harvest authorizations are available across turkey zones 1-5 for the 2023 spring season. A link to more information can be found at DailyDodge.com.
