Law Enforcement

■ Oct. 22 - An officer received a complaint of someone dumping mattresses and a couch in front of an Abbotsford residence. The complainant did not know who may have placed the items near the road.

The officer went to the residence and observed multiple items on the grass placed between a fence and the street. The officer met with the owner of the residence who stated they had seen people carrying the items the day before and believed they were carrying discarded furniture from a neighboring residence. The owner let the officer know that the neighbor across the street had also witnessed the people carrying the items.

The officer was unable to contact the neighboring resident. The officer then spoke with a second witness, who confirmed seeing the neighbors from the other residence carrying the furniture the day before.

On Oct. 25, an officer returned to the residence and spoke with the suspected owner of the furniture. The owner confirmed the furniture was theirs and was informed of the complaint the department had received. The owner was given 10 days to dispose of the items properly before receiving a citation.

■ ■ Oct. 22 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford residence after dispatch received two 911 calls regarding an individual needing help. The dispatcher heard arguing in the background. Upon arrival, the officer met with a man who stated he had been punched and that the assailant was in a car located behind his neighbor’s residence. The officer investigated the vehicle but found no occupants. The officer returned to the individual and observed him to have some blood on the outside of his right nostril as well as a bloodshot right eye.

The complainant stated he had been running an errand when his wife had told him that people were there looking for him. The individual identified one of his neighbors as the one that hit him. He did not know why that neighbor would want to hit him. The complainant stated that he had come home and when he got out of his car, the neighbor was standing near him. The neighbor then punched him in the eye. The complainant’s brother then intervened, grabbing the neighbor and telling them to calm down.

The officer then spoke with the complainant’s wife. She stated that the neighbor had been knocking on the door and entered the house. While inside, the neighbor told her they would not leave until they spoke to her husband. The wife told the neighbor to leave. The neighbor then started kicking the door before walking out. There was no damage done to the house.

The complainant did not know why his neighbor would be looking for him or would want to punch him. He stated he did not want to press criminal charges and just wanted to report this as a warning.

The officer then spoke with the neighbor who stated they had been drinking and they had gotten in an argument with the complainant. The officer asked what the problem was, and the neighbor claimed it was over a girl. The neighbor denied punching the complainant and claimed it was just verbal. The officer told the neighbor they knew they had punched the complainant. The officer informed the neighbor that punching people was against the law, but the complainant was not going to press charges against them. The neighbor was informed that they would be cited for disorderly conduct.

■ Oct. 23 - A complaint was made by the city of Colby concerning the appearance of a property. An officer drove to the property and observed the yard on the east side of the house to have numerous areas of debris and junk. A warning letter will be sent to the property owner concerning the complaint and the condition of the property.

■ ■ Oct. 24 - An officer met with an individual in Abbotsford in regards to a fraud complaint. The complainant said they looked at their bank account on their phone early that morning and saw a charge of $206 from an “AGI renters.” The complainant stated they did not know who “AGI renters” was and did not pay them $206. The complainant stated they had already contacted their bank and had their account and all their credit cards locked; they just needed a law enforcement report to give to the bank.

■ ■ Oct. 25 - An officer was responding to a minor vehicle crash in Abbotsford when they observed a vehicle perform a U-turn on East Linden Street, just before entering STH 13, and continuing westbound without taillights on. The officer arrived on scene and observed a vehicle to be perpendicular with the south curb and approximately half on the roadway. The officer was informed by witnesses that the vehicle they had observed without taillights was the striking vehicle.

The officer followed the vehicle and observed it to be traveling on the wrong side of the road. The officer activated their emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop, and the vehicle came to a stop in the middle of the road. The officer then observed the driver exit the vehicle. The driver was ordered to get back in the vehicle.

The officer met with the driver and asked what was going on. The driver stated they had an accident, and had tried to call 911. The driver stated they didn’t know what had happened and that they had had problems with the car. The officer saw the vehicle had its airbag deployed and the driver had a cut on their hand. The officer asked if the driver would like to be checked out by EMS. The driver stated yes and EMS was requested.

The officer then asked the driver if they had anything to drink. The driver stated they had four mixed drinks earlier that night in Medford. The driver then stated that they had problems with their vehicle turning because it has alignment issues. The officer asked how hard they hit the car. The driver stated the vehicle swerved all by itself. The officer asked why the driver would drive the vehicle if they knew the alignment was off. The driver stated they weren’t going to, but had to pick up their son from work.

The officer asked why the driver had left the scene of the crash. The driver stated that an unidentified female told them that she was going to call the cops, and she would meet the driver at their house. The officer asked the driver if they ever called 911. The driver stated that they told their son to call 911. The driver stated their son had been in the passenger seat during the accident and had gotten out to call and tell his brother that he would have to walk home from work.

The officer walked around the vehicle and observed a flat front tire as well as heavy front-end damage. The officer conducted a background check on the driver and found them to have no license.

The officer asked the driver how fast they were going. The driver stated they were only going 25 mph. EMS arrived on scene, and the officer advised the driver to go with them to get checked out. The driver refused and said they were fine. The officer informed the EMTs that the driver’s minor son was also involved in the crash and asked them to check on him. EMTs came back shortly and told the officer that he was fine.

While in close proximity to the driver, the officer could detect a strong odor of intoxicants. The driver agreed to do field sobriety tests, but was unwilling to do a preliminary breath test after failing to pass the field sobriety test. He was placed under arrest for operating while under the influence with a passenger under 16 (1st).

The driver was issued citations for operating while under the influence with a passenger under 16 (1st), operating with prohibited alcohol concentration with a passenger under 16 and PAC greater than 0.15 (1st), operating without a valid license (2nd within 3 years), and hit and run - unattended vehicle.

■ ■ Oct. 25 - An officer met with a complainant in Colby for a fraud complaint. The complainant stated earlier in the day they had received a phone call from a number originating in Owen. The caller left a voicemail, identifying himself as “Deputy Gabriel” with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. “Deputy Gabriel” informed the complainant that he was looking into a legal matter regarding him and the complainant needed to call back. The officer knew that there is not a “Deputy Gabriel” currently employed with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

The complainant called the number back and “Gabriel” told him he had to go to the courthouse in Neillsville. The complainant was asked to stay on the phone and to bring their wallet and ID with him. The complainant stated they were suspicious, and the caller told them not to go to any governmental institution or they would be arrested immediately. The complainant said they did not give any personal or banking information to the caller.

The officer informed the complainant that the caller was probably able to get their phone number, name, and address due to their information being publicly available. The officer advised the complainant to block the number and disregard any other phone calls. The officer called the phone number and reached a voicemail for “Lieutenant Gabriel with the Sheriff’s Office” and left a message. A search of the phone number will be conducted through a law enforcement search database to see if an owner of the number can be located.

■ ■ Oct. 26 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford residence for a juvenile fighting with their mother. Upon arrival, the officer met with the mother, who invited the officer inside. Everything was calm at that point. The officer spoke with the mother and an adult male in the residence. The male stated he woke up to use the restroom and observed an odor of burnt cigarette smoke inside the apartment. The male then entered his step-son’s room and saw the smoke to be coming from his room. The mother said she got into an argument with her son about smoking and demanded he give her the cigarettes. She said he never gave up the cigarettes, but the argument never turned physical.

The officer then spoke with the juvenile, who was reluctant to speak about the incident. The juvenile stated that he was caught smoking. The officer requested the juvenile give them the cigarettes. The juvenile gave the officer the cigarettes, which he had been hiding under the treadmill in his room. The officer spoke with the juvenile about his behavior with his mother and the underage use of tobacco.

The mother later showed the officer a message her son had written on the margins of a piece of paper that stated “plz kill me.” She informed the officer that her son has made comments about self harm in the past. The officer asked the juvenile if he had thoughts of hurting himself. He stated he did, but was unwilling to say much more. The officer asked if he had a plan to hurt himself or how he would do so. The juvenile said he did not.

The officer called Northwest Connections and informed the crisis worker of the comments made by the juvenile. The juvenile refused to speak with the crisis worker, who said they would document the incident.

The officer advised the mother of a safety plan, including securing items in the home that could harm the juvenile. The officer said he would reach out to the school resource officer to see if there are any services that the juvenile may benefit from at school.

■ ■ Oct. 26 - An officer checked the registration of a vehicle traveling in Colby and found the registered owner to have a warrant through Wood County for failure to appear, possession of cocaine and prohibited alcohol concentration violation. The officer pulled up to the vehicle, which had parked on North First Street. Based on previous contacts, the officer identified the individual standing outside of the vehicle as the driver.

The officer met with the driver and informed them of the warrant. Dispatch confirmed the warrant with Wood County and advised it was a body or bond warrant of $1,000. The officer confirmed the driver’s identity and placed them under arrest.

The driver was transported to the police department, where they posted the $1,000 bond amount. The driver was given a mandatory court date at the Wood County Courthouse.

■ ■ Oct. 26 - An officer met with an individual in reference to a child custody exchange complaint. The complainant showed the officer a copy of the court ordered child custody paperwork, which stated that the complainant was to have custody of her children every other Sunday. The court order said she was responsible for picking up and dropping off the child from the father’s residence during the exchange.

The complainant stated that she and the child’s father had verbally agreed to do the exchange each Sunday in the parking lot of a store in Abbotsford. The complainant stated that this time the child’s father refused to bring the kids until a new court filing was processed. He threatened to call the police if she showed up at his residence. The complainant wanted to document this incident for future court proceedings.

The complainant asked what she could do. The officer informed her that the court order said that she was required to go to the father’s residence to exchange the kids. The officer advised her to go there the next time an exchange was to take place, to stay in her vehicle, and contact him via phone to conduct the exchange. The officer told her that if he called the police that she would not be in violation of the court order and could file another report with the responding officer then.