News – May 4, 2016

Ideal Location For Second Beaver Dam Fire Station

 

5/4/16 – Beaver Dam Fire Chief Alan Mannel discussed the ideal location for a north side satellite fire station at last night’s Police and Fire Commission meeting. Mannel says that the general industry suggestion is for a municipality to have the service area of a fire station cover one-and-a-half-miles. He says that would put the service area boundary at Dodge Drive and North Spring Street, so basically Culvers. The fire station is located at South Lincoln and Henry streets. Mannel says an ideal location for a second station would target the Highway 151 and County Highway B corridor. Mannel says taxpayers on the north side of town pay the same rate as taxpayers on the south side but fire and EMS is diluted by time and distance. While it’s still too early to establish a timeline or price-tag, Mannel did say that the second station would likely cost as much as the $5.1-million dollar police station that was completed in 2011. As far as a timeline, he says five-years out would be a reasonable starting point.

 

Second K9 Unit On The Beat In Beaver Dam

 

5/4/16 – The Beaver Dam Police Department’s second K9 unit is on the beat. Police Chief John Kreuziger says Yeti’s first day on the job was last Friday and within two hours he was already making an impact. During a traffic stop for driving on a revoked license, the suspect fled on foot, until he saw dog when he got down on the ground and gave up. Officer Kevin Hall is the new handler. Yeti is “dual-purpose” dog which – in addition to narcotics detection – means he is trained to conduct evidence and building searches, criminal apprehensions and the tracking of a fleeing or missing person. The German Shepherd is working third shift and is a “passive detection” dog, which means it would sit quietly once something is detected; as opposed to an “aggressive dog” which would bark or scratch to alert their handler. The cost of the dog including purchase, training and related equipment was around $13-thousand dollars not counting annual certifications. Yeti joins narcotics detection dog “Blade” who works second shift with Officer Nathan Keener.

 

New Chair Seated On Beaver Dam PFC

 

5/4/16 – The Beaver Dam Police and Fire Commission selected a new chair at last night’s meeting. Jeff Kohman will serve in the position for the next year. Kohman replaces Chris Boucher who was first seated on the commission in 1994 and saw his term expire this month. Casey Carney returned to the commission to fill Boucher’s vacant seat. Also yesterday, Ken Serchen was elected secretary.

 

Hartford Man Accused Of Hustisford Child Sex Assault

 

5/4/16 – An arrest warrant has been issued for a Hartford man accused of having inappropriate contact with a minor.  Steven Baran is facing five felony counts of Sexually Assaulting a Child Under the Age of Thirteen.  The 51-year-old allegedly went into the Hartford Police Department last summer to turn himself in for sexually assaulting a girl whose parents he was living with in Hustisford at the time.  Baran said it happened five or six times over the course of three months and reportedly asked to be arrested since he was getting urges to rape again.  The victim, who says she was ten years old when the assaults began, claims the incidents happened between 2005 and 2007.  If he is convicted on all counts, Baran faces up to 300 years in prison.

 

Markesan Sex Offender, Ref Released Back Into Community

 

5/4/16 – The Markesan sex offender who refereed youth sports and phoned in bomb threats after his ref license was suspended has moved into a residence in rural Markesan. Last August, a Dodge County judge sentenced Aaron Schreiber to prison, but yesterday (Tue) the 34-year-old moved into a residence on Old Highway A. Green Lake County Chief Deputy Sheriff Mark Putzke (PUTZ-kee) says his department and Markesan Police are aware of Schreiber’s history. There was a community notification meeting at the Markesan City Hall Monday night. Putzke says Markesan is Schreiber’s home community and they know him well so there will be a lot of eyes on him, adding that the community also is their eyes and ears. Schreiber will be on electronic monitoring. He was a ref for school districts in Beaver Dam, Mayville and Waupun, among others.

 

Child Case Of Elizabethkingia Not Connected To Outbreak

 

5/4/16 – Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin says lab tests show that a child diagnosed with Elizabethkingia is not connected to the strain that has caused an outbreak of the bloodstream infection in Wisconsin. A hospital spokesman says the genetic markers in the child’s case are unique. The spokesman says the hospital has effectively treated patients with Elizabethkingia with antibiotics, but would not comment specifically on the child’s case. The hospital said last week that a child in the neonatal intensive care unit was diagnosed with Elizabethkingia, but there was no indication the patient had a serious infection. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says there are 60 confirmed adult cases of the bacteria. Nineteen Wisconsinites have died, including at least one person from Dodge County — but it’s not known if the bacteria caused the deaths, or underlying diseases were to blame.

 

Coordinated Charges Pending In Deadly Multi-County Crime Spree

 

5/4/16 – Authorities in Milwaukee, Dane, Columbia, and Sauk counties are working together to consider charges against Zachary Hays. He’s the 20-year-old West Allis man who allegedly shot and killed Gabriel Sanchez in their apartment building Sunday morning — and then went with his two brothers to Wisconsin Dells before shooting at a vehicle on the Interstate, apparently at random, as they started heading home Sunday afternoon. The victim’s vehicle was being driven by a federal drug agent whose wife — 44-year-old Tracy Czaczkowski of suburban Chicago — died Tuesday. An officer shot Hays after a chase which extended south into Dane County, and he remains hospitalized in an undisclosed condition. Hays and his brothers are all under arrest.

 

Wisconsin Traffic Deaths Up In First Part Of 2016

 

5/4/16 – Wisconsin had fewer traffic deaths in April than the same month last year, but the number for the first four months of the year is up from 2015.  Preliminary D-O-T figures show 38 people died on Wisconsin roads last month, twelve fewer than last April.  Through April 30, 161 people had died on Wisconsin roads in 2016, 11 more than the same four months last year and 26 above the five-year average.  Dodge County has had one traffic fatality this year after having eleven all of last year.  Columbia County has seen nine motor vehicle deaths, only one less than it had in all of 2015 and third most in the state for 2016 behind Milwaukee and Dane counties.  The six deaths in Washington County through the first four months of 2016 are only three less than it had all of last year.  Fond du Lac County has had three deaths.  Jefferson County has seen one traffic fatality, and Green Lake County has not had any road deaths.  Fourteen pedestrians, four motorcyclists, and three bicyclists have been killed on Wisconsin roads in 2016.

 

Nancy’s Notions Sewing Weekend Returns

 

5/4/16 – Expect Beaver Dam to be a bit more crowded than usual the next three days.  Nancy’s Notions Sewing Weekend kicks off tomorrow morning.  Over 30 vendors and eight presenters will be on hand.  Marketing and Events Manager Tammy Mitchell says there will also be demonstrations, one-hour make-it-take-it classes, and half-day sit-and-sew classes.  While a large chunk of the action will happen at Nancy’s Notions warehouse location at 333 Beichl Avenue, Mitchell says there will also be events at Grace Presbyterian Church, Peace Lutheran Church, Trinity Methodist Church, and the Beaver Dam Middle School.  Mitchell says tickets for the seminars and sewing classes will be available at the door.  She says the event first got started over 30 years ago when Nancy Zieman saw the large amount of interest for sewing tools and notions.  Now, Mitchell says the weekend-long show draws over 4,000 people each year.  Thursday and Friday’s events run from 8 am to 6:30 pm while festivities Saturday go from 8 am to 5:30 pm.

 

Columbus Color Run Today

 

5/4/16 – Columbus schools will be holding their second annual “Color Columbus Run” this afternoon. Students and staff are preparing for the fundraiser. Superintendent Annett Deuman says that nearly 30 local sponsors have already signed on for the event. She says the students participating in the run / walk will also be raising money for the Columbus Area School District Endowment. The event will raise money for endowment grants for a number of school district projects. The Columbus Color Run will start at 1:30 pm at the Elementary / Middle school parking lot and conclude at 3:30pm.