Colby-Abbotsford Police Log

n Dec. 23 - An officer was notified of an Abbotsford resident who had turned his water back on for the fourth time after it had been turned off by the city.

The resident had previously been cited for theft since he owes the city about $800 in unpaid water bills. The officer went to the residence and spoke to a different man who didn’t know anything about the water situation.

The officer also tried calling the man who had turned the water back on, but no one answered. The officer issued a citation for theft.

n Dec. 23 - An officer was contacted by the manager of an apartment complex in Abbotsford in reference to a woman causing problems.

The manager said the woman’s ex-husband lived in one of the apartments, and she was constantly trying to contact him, even though he was not allowed to have contact with her due to a previous domestic disturbance arrest.

The manager also said the woman’s new boyfriend lives at the apartments, and she is constantly leaving his place at all hours of the night. The manager believed the woman was on drugs and has often acted in a disorderly fashion.

The manager said she and owner of the apartments decided they wanted to bar the woman from the premises. The officer delivered a letter from them to the woman, stating that she was no longer welcome at the apartments.

The officer warned her that she would be charged with trespassing if she returned to the apartments.

n Dec. 25 - An officer was running radar on STH 29 in Abbotsford when he received a message from Marathon County, which was attempting to locate a vehicle without its taillights on.

The officer observed the vehicle pass by his location and pulled it over near Badger Avenue. As the driver rolled down this window, the officer immediately noticed the smell of marijuana.

He also observed a person laying down in the passenger seat. There was also a rear passenger laying down on the bench seat.

When asked where they were coming from, the driver said they had been selling tshirts at the Packers game in Green Bay and were now on their way to sell shirts at the Vikings game in Minneapolis.

The officer also asked about marijuana in the vehicle. They all stated that they had smoked marijuana before the game, but did not have any left inside the vehicle.

Dispatch advised that the driver had a revoked license out of Ohio, and was noted to be armed and dangerous with violent tendencies.

One of the passengers was also flagged for having violent tendencies with a prior conviction for battery to police officers. Deputies from Marathon and Clark counties arrived on scene to provide assistance. The driver and his two passengers were removed from the vehicle and detained while the vehicle was searched.

The search revealed a duffle bag containing a plastic bag of 11.4 grams of marijuana and a digital scale.

The driver admitted the duffle bag belonged to him. He also agreed to do field sobriety tests, as he had acknowledged smoking marijuana before driving.

He showed signs of impairment, and was arrested for driving under the influence. He was taken to the police station and then to a local hospital for blood draw.

He was cited for driving while suspended, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence (third offense).

He was eventually brought to a local hotel, where his two passengers had also been transported, and released to a sober party.

n Dec. 27 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford apartment in reference to harassment complaint.

The officer spoke to a woman who said another tenant was spreading rumors that she used methamphetamine. She said she found this out when she applied for a job at a local restaurant and someone informed her of the rumor.

She said an employee of a local gas station also told her about this rumor. A male subject at the apartment said the woman spreading the rumors had previously been told by another officer not to have any contact with them.

The officer went to the woman’s apartment, but no one was home. He said he would followup with the subject when she was home.

n Dec. 27 - An officer responded to a request for a welfare check on a woman in Abbotsford.

The request came from someone who had not been able to get ahold of the woman in the past few days. The officer arrived and saw a case of drinks and fruit cups sitting outside the door.

The officer knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, but no one came to the door. The screen door was locked from the inside and all of the windows and drapes were closed, so the officer could not see inside.

From previous contacts, the officer knew that the woman had medical issues and recently underwent hip surgery. Her vehicle was parked outside and covered in snow.

The officer decided to gain access to the woman’s residence using a pry bar on the screen door and keys from the maintenance man. Once the officer entered, he called out and could hear the woman’s voice coming from a back bedroom.

The officer noted it was hard to hear her due to a large fan turned on high. She crawled out from the bedroom and into the living room. She said she was OK. When asked if she heard the officer banging on the door, she said she heard it but didn’t realize it was police, so ignored it.

She was advised to call her friend to let her know she was OK. The officer also called the friend to let her know the woman was alright.

n Dec. 28 - An officer spoke to an Abbotsford woman regarding her ex-boyfriend violation his probation.

The complainant said her ex had served time in prison for domestic and stalking, and he was recently released. She said he was not allowed to have contact with her, but he messaged her twice through Facebook and also tried calling her.

She sent the officer a screen shot of the messages and call attempts. She was afraid that her ex would come to her place and kill her.

The officer contacted Immigration Control and Enforcement, since the ex had been in the country illegally. An ICE agent told the officer that the ex was picked up from prison and deported back to Mexico on Dec. 17.

The agent said he would not be allowed back into the country if he tried to enter legally. The officer also contacted the ex’s probation agent and reported the illegal contact with the complainant.

n Dec. 28 - An officer contacted an Eau Claire man in reference to an abandoned vehicle at his property in Abbotsford.

The complainant said he had previously contacted the police about the vehicle and was wondering if it had been moved. The officer said he would relay a message to the woman who said she would arrange to have it moved.

The officer spoke to this woman, who said she had spoken to a male party about moving the vehicle but had not heard from him since. The officer told her that vehicle would be towed by the owner the following day. The officer called the owner back and informed him of what he had learned.

n Dec. 30 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford residence in reference to domestic disturbance after a friend reported the incident.

A married couple were taken to the police station for separate interviews. The woman and her husband had been married for eight years and recently moved to Abbotsford. She said when she woke up on Dec. 28, her husband was looking at her phone. When she asked him why, he got defensive and went downstairs.

She said he confronted her in the bathroom and choked her with both his hands. She said he also threatened to take their kids away and punched her in the head, causing her pain. The officer noticed some minor redness on her face and neck but no bruising.

The officer next spoke to the husband, who said he suspected his wife of cheating on him. He acknowledged looking at her phone and arguing with her but denied punching or choking her.

Based on the available evidence, the officer decided to arrest the husband for domestic disorderly conduct and battery. He was transported to the Clark County Jail.

n Dec. 30 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford apartment in reference to a suspicious activity complaint.

The caller stated she could smell marijuana coming from her upstairs neighbors’ apartment.

The officer went to the apartment and knocked several times, but no one answered. He did not hear any movement coming from inside the apartment.

n Dec. 31 - An officer observed a gate open on the property of a Colby business. As he approached the fence, he noticed a fresh pair of footprints going into the gated area.

The prints went up to an excavator, made a full circle around the machine and then looped back around to the original entry point into the gated area. None of the prints lead into the building.

The officer noticed that a padlock was still broken from a previous incident, so he placed the chain into a loose knot to secure the gate. The officer contacted a manager of the business, who said no one should have been on the property within the past couple days.

The manager said he would speak to maintenance about replacing the broken padlock.

n Jan. 1 - An officer was traveling northbound on STH 13 in Abbotsford when he noticed a southbound vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.

The officer heard a highpitched noise coming from radar, but before he could see the speed, the vehicle had passed him.

The officer turned his vehicle around and got behind the vehicle, which turned east onto East Oak Street. The vehicle then went north on North Fifth Street before going west on East Cedar Street.

The vehicle traveled at a high rate of speed, failing to stop at the intersection on East Cedar and STH 13. The officer pulled the vehicle over on North Second Street near East Cedar.

Before the officer could exit his squad vehicle, the driver exited his vehicle and started to walk toward the officer.

The officer directed the driver to get back into his vehicle several times before he finally did. He identified himself with a California state ID card. The driver acknowledged going 45 to 50 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone.

The officer could smell alcohol on the driver’s breath, so he asked how much he had to drink. He said he had two or three beers at a bar in Medford. Dispatch reported that the driver did not have a valid license.

The driver agreed to do field sobriety tests. The officer noticed several signs of impairment and also took a preliminary breath test, which showed a .101 blood-alcohol level. The driver was arrested for drunk driving and taken to the police station, where he registered a .10 BAC on the breathalyzer.

He was cited for drunk driving, failure to stop at a stop sign and driving without a valid license. He was then released to a sober party.

n Jan. 2 - An officer was in Colby when he observed a vehicle traveling west on Spence Street with no license plates.

The officer pulled the vehicle over and met with the driver, who identified himself with a Minnesota identification card. He admitted to not having a driver’s license.

Dispatch reported that he had a warrant out for resisting an officer. The officer called another officer in for backup and learned that the driver’s license was revoked due to a alcohol-related offense.

The driver was informed of the warrant, and he said he did not have the $100 to post the bond. The driver was arrested and taken to Marathon County Jail.