Law Enforcement

■ ■ Aug. 9 - An officer pulled over a vehicle in Colby after it made an unsafe lane deviation in the path of another vehicle. The officer met with the driver along with three passengers. The driver stated they knew why they were pulled over. The officer noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage and symptoms of intoxication from the driver.

The officer asked the driver where they were heading to. The driver stated they were in Colby to drop off a female passenger at her boyfriend’s house and then heading back to the Neillsville area. The officer asked all the passengers for identification, and observed one of them holding a vape device. Due to the passengers being under the age of 21, the officer seized the vape and advised the passenger holding it that they would receive a citation for the underage possession of tobacco. The officer then asked the driver to step out of the vehicle and follow the officer to the front of the squad to speak.

The officer advised the driver that they could smell alcohol and asked if they had been drinking. The driver stated no, that they were coming from the county fair in Neillsville and came to drop off a passenger at her boyfriend’s house. The officer asked again if they had been drinking, to which the driver replied “No. No I haven’t. I was their sober ride.” The officer then asked if all the passengers had been drinking. The driver stated that their girlfriend had not, but the other two passengers had been at the fair.

The driver agreed to do field sobriety tests. After the tests, the officer asked the driver once again if they had any alcoholic beverages, which the driver denied. The officer asked if the driver and the passengers would be willing to submit to a PBT, which all consented too. The driver’s results was a .18, the first passenger was a .08, the second passenger was a .09, and the third passenger, the driver’s girlfriend, was a .194.

The officer informed all the passengers they would receive underage citations in the mail and the driver was placed under arrest for operating while under the influence. The driver was transported to the police station and issued citations for operating while under the influence (1st), PAC >0.15 (1st), and unsafe lane deviation.

■ ■ Aug. 10 - An officer was dispatched to an establishment located inside of the former Shopko Plaza in reference to a disturbance. The officer was told an individual was banging on windows and screaming in the hallway about death. Upon arrival, the officer observed the individual to be sweating heavily even though it was a relatively cold day and to be displaying other odd behaviors. A female that works in another business next door came up to the officer and explained that the individual had come into her store and was yelling before going back to the establishment they were located in. The female stated the individual was yelling about all their sins and saying “Jesus hold me up.” The individual then indicated to the officer they were not armed with any weapons.

Three Clark County sheriff’s deputy arrived and had the individual sit on a bench. The individual shared statements with the officers that led them to believe they were in an altered state of mind. The individual confirmed their name and birthdate, but then answered every other question with their name or birthdate.

A family friend arrived and stated that the individual’s spouse had called, concerned, and had told them that the individual had been acting strange, but had not had any alcohol. The friend explained that the individual had a past history of alcoholism, but had been sober for the past 11 months.

The officer called a crisis center and spoke to a staff member about the situation. The officer told the staff member they believed the individual may be a danger to themselves and others if not placed on an emergency detention. The staff member asked that the individual be brought to the center to be seen by a crisis worker. The individual was taken to the crisis center and then the hospital.

■ ■ Aug.10 - An officer was dispatched to a Colby residence for a welfare check. The officer was advised that a male at the residence wanted to go to jail before he made a mistake with his girlfriend.

The officer arrived and met with the girlfriend while the male individual was asked to step outside of the residence. The girlfriend stated she returned to her residence to find the male drinking alcohol. She said the two started arguing about their relationship. She stated that she shares a child with the male, but does not want to be in a relationship with him and wants him out of her residence, as she noticed him getting more aggressive the longer she is around him. She said she told him to leave as he was getting mad at her and he responded by walking into the bedroom and punching a hole in the wall. She then told him she was going to call the police. He grabbed her phone out of her hands and smashed it, then smashed his phone too. She stated she feared for her safety.

The officer then met with the male outside of the residence. The male stated he got into an argument with his girlfriend as he believes she is cheating on him. He stated he broke both phones so that they would be even. He said he punched a hole in the wall because he was angry with his girlfriend.

The male individual was found to have a warrant through the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department. He was placed under arrest for domestic disorderly conduct, false imprisonment, and for his warrant. He was transported to Marathon County Jail.

■ ■ Aug. 12 - An officer responded to a disturbance at an Abbotsford residence. Upon arrival, the officer noted a shotgun outside of the residence on the grass. The officer walked into the residence and met with one of the individuals involved in the disturbance. The officer asked the male individual what had happened that night. The individual stated that he had been at a birthday party for his son earlier in the day and was drinking beer when he heard rumors that his wife was having an affair. He said the rumors made him mad, so he tried punching the outside doors of the residence but his wife intervened as she did not want the doors damaged.

The individual said he then walked into the residence and his wife followed him, telling him the cops were coming and they were going to get him. He walked into his office where all of his guns were loaded and grabbed a shotgun. His wife saw him grab the gun and attempted to wrestle it away from him. He stated that the gun ended up falling to the ground as his wife then jumped onto his back and wrapped her arm around his neck in a choke hold. He stated that she squeezed hard enough that he had trouble breathing. He stated their neighbors walked inside of the residence and separated the couple as his face was starting to turn red or purple due to being choked.

The officer then met with the wife outside the residence. She said she had been at the party and saw her husband drinking. She knew that he had been told that she was cheating on him, but she denied it. The wife said she wants to separate from her husband, but every time she tried to, he would talk about suicide. She stated he had told her if he can’t have her, then no one can. She was not sure if that meant he was going to kill her.

She stated she followed him into the residence and reported hearing him say, “Just let me do it.” She thought he meant he was going to shoot her or himself. She said she jumped on his back after wrestling the gun out of his hands and putting him in a choke hold. She intended to hold him in that position until police arrived.

She stated the neighbors arrived and separated the couple. One of the neighbors carried all of the guns they could see out of the residence. She told the officer that she did not feel safe with the husband in the residence.

The officer met with the neighbor outside the residence. They stated that one of the couple’s children knocked on their door and told them their parents were fighting. They told the officer they witnessed the husband make suicidal comments both before entering the residence and after.

The officer called a crisis center representative and informed them of the situation. The representative spoke with the husband over the phone. He did not make any suicidal comments during the conversation. The representative told the officer that due to the comments they had told them about, they would be doing a mental health commitment.

The officer placed the husband under arrest for mental commitment and transported him to a hospital in Wausau.

■ ■ Aug. 11 - An officer received a report from a witness at a Colby gas station who observed an individual open a can of beer before driving off in a truck. The officer was later alerted to a traffic complaint of a vehicle matching the description of the one at the gas station that had driven onto someone’s yard and continued east on West Broadway.

The officer saw a vehicle that matched the description of the reported truck deviating from its lane of travel. A traffic stop was conducted. Upon contact with the driver, the officer observed clear signs of intoxication. The driver stated they had drunk four or five cans of beer. They agreed to do field sobriety tests as well as a preliminary breath test, the results of which was 0.196. The driver was arrested and received a citation for operating while under the influence (1st), operating w/ pac (1st), operating without valid license. He was warned for the lane deviation.

■ ■ Aug. 12 - An officer received an assault complaint from an individual who had been beaten up by an acquaintance at a park in Abbotsford. The officer knew the acquaintance was on probation, so their probation agent was informed of the complaint, and a warrant was issued for the individual.

The officer met with the complainant who stated they had been alone at the park when the acquaintance’s vehicle pulled up to the park and blocked the driveway so that they couldn’t leave. The acquaintance then exited their vehicle and grabbed the complainant, threw them into the vehicle and then onto the ground. The complainant reported being punched multiple times by the acquaintance while on the ground. The complainant stated they had seen the acquaintance earlier that day at a gas station, revving the engine in their loud car. The complainant said they had told the acquaintance to knock it off.

The officer drove to the residence of the acquaintance, and observed the individual to be in a mentally distressed state. The officer was unable to interview them at that time due to their mental state. The individual was taken into custody for the probation warrant and transported to the Clark County Jail.

The officer later received a phone call from a witness, who stated they had been with the suspect when they assaulted the complainant at the park. They said the suspect had told them that the complainant had been insulting their family and that they were going to fight them. The witness stated that the suspect got out of the car and talked to the complainant for a minute as if they were friends, before shoving started. The suspect punched the complainant, the witness said, and then the fight went to the ground and they could no longer see the altercation. They exited the vehicle and saw the suspect punching the complainant while on top of him. The witness told the suspect to get in the car. The individual then stood up and kicked the complainant in the face before leaving.

The officer requested charges for battery.

■ ■ Aug. 9 - An officer was dispatched to a store in Abbotsford for a theft complaint. The owner of the store stated that about a week ago they had noticed that around $300 was missing from the cash register, along with a scooter. The owner stated that they normally put the scooter outside the doors of the store when opening and bring it in when closing. The owner reported there was no forced entry, and no camera footage available.

■ ■ Aug. 14 - An officer was dispatched to an intersection in Abbotsford for a single vehicle accident. Upon arrival, the officer observed a vehicle resting on its roof in the grass next to the road. A witness stated the vehicle had failed to stop for the stop sign at an intersection and attempted to pass a semi on the right. The vehicle lost control on the gravel shoulder and went into the ditch and rolled over. The driver got out and a another vehicle picked them up. The officer recognized the vehicle from a previous complaint of the car driving past a residence at a high rate of speed. The complainant identified the driver. The officer recognized the driver from prior law enforcement contacts and knew them to be on probation, with a revoked driver’s license due to alcohol or drug related offense. The officer contacted the parole office to report the accident, and was advised that a probation warrant would be issued.

The officer went to the driver’s residence and placed them under arrest for the warrant. The officer issued citations for operating after revocation due to an alcohol or drug related offense (fourth), unreasonable and imprudent speed, unsafe passing on right, and failure of operator to notify police of an accident. Charges of bail jumping were also referred to the district attorney’s office.

■ ■ Aug. 14 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford residence for a theft complaint. The complainant stated someone stole $60 from their dresser. The officer met with the complainant and searched the dresser. The complainant stated there were no cameras in the hallway of their residence and anyone could have entered the room as the doors did not lock. The complainant told the officer they just wanted to document the incident.