Law Enforcement
■ ■ Dec. 16 - An officer met with an Abbotsford resident who reported that their apartment had been robbed. They were missing a jewelry box with an estimated $8,000 worth of items inside. The complainant provided the officer with a security video of a dark colored truck drive into the driveway. An individual wearing a hat and a red hooded sweatshirt exited the vehicle and went to the door. The individual is then observed exiting the house and going back to the truck. The complainant stated that their nephew recognized the individual as someone they had worked with at a previous job, but neither of them currently worked there. The nephew stated that the individual did not drive and lived somewhere in Colby, but was unable to provide further information regarding the individual.
The officer later observed a vehicle matching the description from the video parked near a residence in Colby. The officer spoke with the owner of the vehicle, who stated that they had given the suspect a ride to and from work. The suspect had told the witness that they had accidentally switched lunch boxes with a co-worker and asked to be taken to the co-worker’s residence to give the lunch box back. The suspect had gone to knock on the door of the co-worker’s house while the witness waited in the truck, but the driver observed the suspect open the door instead. The witness estimated that the suspect was in the house for five to six minutes before exiting with the same lunch box.
The officer then met with the suspect who stated that they had switched lunch boxes with a co-worker while at work and wanted to return the lunch box. They had gone to the co-worker’s house, but nobody answered, and since they did not know the apartment number, they did not enter. The suspect stated that they left and would switch with the co-worker the next morning.
The officer informed the suspect that they had a video of the suspect entering the house. The suspect then stated that they had looked inside the house to see if the co-worker was there. The suspect allowed the officer to search their room. The lunch box from the video, as well as a red sweatshirt that matched the one in the video was found in the closet. The officer was unable to find any other items of evidentiary value regarding the robbery complaint.
■ ■ Dec. 17 - An officer took a complainant regarding a prescription that had been mailed to the wrong address. The complainant stated that they had expected their prescription on Dec. 8, but had not received it by Dec. 15, at which point they checked the shipping details. They found that the package had been delivered a few days prior to an address that was not theirs. The complainant was able to get in contact with the owner of the property who returned the medication on Dec. 16.
The complainant stated that upon receiving the package, they found that the medication container had been opened and only 10 pills out of a 90 day supply were left inside. The complainant stated they were not sure why someone would use their prescription, but they were no longer comfortable with using the remaining supply. They were not concerned about the missing dosages and just needed a report on the incident for insurance to cover the replacement.
■ ■ Dec. 16 - An officer followed up on an ordinance violation at a residence in Colby. The residents had previously been mailed a letter notifying them of the proper way to dispose of mattresses that had been left at the edge of the property. The officer found that the mattresses had been moved, but still remained on the property. The officer spoke with the owner of the mattresses and verbally explained the contents of the letter, which informed them of the proper way to dispose of the mattresses. The owner promised to make an appointment with the waste disposal company for the proper removal of the mattresses.
■ ■ Dec. 17 - An officer received a scam complaint from a business in Colby. The caller stated that an unidentified worker had received a call from the scammer, who’s caller ID showed the store manager’s name. The scammer asked for two, $500 bank cards to be loaded onto a barcode that was sent to the worker’s phone, as well as a refund of a Milwaukee-brand tool valued at $700. The worker did so. The store did not receive payment for the two bank cards, nor the tool that was refunded. The total loss was $1,700.
■ ■ Dec. 17 - An officer was informed that an inmate at Clark County Jail wanted to report an incident that occurred the night before in Abbotsford between him and his wife.
The complainant stated that they had been out to eat and after he went to use the bathroom, his wife received a text message from an unidentified individual stating that the complainant was cheating on her. The wife left the restaurant without him and began walking toward the post office. The complainant met her at the post office, and she hit him.
The complainant stated he believed she had hit him as hard as she could on his bad shoulder out of anger. He rated the pain at a 7 out of 10. The complainant was shocked by her actions as she had never done anything like that before. He stated that no further physical altercation happened that night.
The officer then spoke with the wife who said she had gone to supper with her husband and had received videos and photos of him from an unidentified individual on how he loved them and how they were meant for each other. The wife left the restaurant and began to walk as she did not want to be in the same vehicle as him. He then met her at the post office and convinced her to get in the vehicle to talk. While in the vehicle, she became overwhelmed by what he was saying and did not want to hear it. She told him while at the stop sign that she was going to get out and have someone else come pick her up. She stated that she did not remember everything that happened that night because of the emotional turmoil, but did remember hitting him.
The complainant and his wife have a young child together. The officer informed her that she would not be taken into custody for the incident, due to her husband already being in jail for a separate domestic incident and her being the primary caregiver of the child at that time. The officer said charges for battery, domestic related will be referred to the district attorney.
■ ■ Dec. 18 - An officer received a theft complaint from the owner of a store in Abbotsford. The officer was provided a video of four juveniles entering the store and hanging around for a while. At one point the four split into two groups of two. The officer then observed one of the juveniles take an item from the shelf and hand it to the second juvenile. The second juvenile then puts it in their pants and the two leave the store. The two other juveniles pay for another item before leaving. The owner confronted the two juveniles who had paid but they ran away. The owner stated they did not want to press charges, but did not want any of the individuals involved to be allowed back in the store.
The officer spoke with the juveniles and their guardians about the incident and informed them that they were no longer permitted to be on the property.
■ ■ Dec. 19 - An officer received a harassment complaint from an individual who stated that their ex continues to call and text them after the relationship ended and drives past their residence without having a reason to. They stated that they had told the ex to stop driving past their house and contacting them. The ex had stopped driving past the house, but has continued to contact them from different phone numbers.
The officer contacted the ex and informed them that the complainant did not want any further communication with them. The ex agreed to no longer contact the complainant. The officer also advised the complainant to not contact their ex.
■ ■ Dec. 21 - An officer conducted a traffic stop in Abbotsford on a vehicle observed to be going 67 mph in the posted 45 mph zone. When asked why they had been going so fast, the driver said they had been going to get their friends some food. The driver was unable to provide an ID and the officer was later informed that the information they had written down was incorrect. While speaking with the driver, the officer could detect a strong odor of intoxicants coming from their person.
The driver denied drinking and agreed to do field sobriety tests. The officer observed several signs of impairment during the test. The driver was unwilling to do a preliminary breath test.
The driver was placed under arrest for operating while under the influence (2nd). A notice of intent to suspend operating privilege was completed and the driver was issued citations for operating while under the influence (2nd), exceeding speed zone (20-24 mph), operating while revoked (criminal), failure to install an ignition interlock device, operating with pac (2nd), and obstructing an officer.
The officer did a background check on the driver’s correct information and observed them to have an open case in Marathon County with a bail condition to not drive without a valid driver’s license, as well as an open felony case through Clark County. The officer informed them that the officer would be requesting a felony count of bail jumping and a misdemeanor count of bail jumping.
■ ■ Dec. 21 - An officer took a property damage complaint from a Colby resident. The complainant’s mailbox had been struck by a vehicle that had drifted out of the road way and hopped the curb before correcting itself and driving away. The mailbox was damaged beyond being usable, numerous plastic vehicle pieces were scattered nearby, and the officer recognized a fog light assembly along with white colored plastic bumper pieces.
The officer searched the number on the assembly and found it belonged to a Jeep Grand Cherokee, with the part fit years of 2014-2016. The officer was unable to locate a vehicle with matching damage within Colby or Abbotsford. The complainant estimated the mailbox to cost $100 to replace.
■ ■ Dec. 22 - An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle they observed driving over the center dotted line multiple times while traveling northbound on STH 13 in Colby. The officer could smell a strong odor of intoxicants while at the driver’s window. The officer ran the driver's information and was advised that they had a prior drunk driving conviction. Their license was revoked, they were required to have an ignition interlock device on their vehicle, and were not allowed to drive with a blood-alcohol level of 0.02 or higher.
The driver agreed to do field sobriety tests. The officer offered to conduct the test at the police department due to the cold weather and the driver not having a jacket. The driver agreed and was transported to the police department. The officer observed several signs of impairment during the tests. The driver agreed to do a preliminary breath, the result of which was a 0.146. The driver was then placed under arrest and issued citations for operating while under the influence (2nd), deviation from designated lane, operating while revoked (criminal), failure to install iid, and operating with pac (2nd).
