Law Enforcement
_ June 26 - An officer was traveling on West Spruce Street in Abbotsford when he responded to the scene of a traffic accident. The vehicle had driven off the road on a left-hand turn near Old Highway 29. The vehicle struck a left arrow sign, continued driving on the grass and hit a street sign at the corner of West Spruce Street and Old Highway 29. The vehicle then traveled southwest across Old Highway 29 before going down a steep hillside and coming to a rest at the bottom of the hill.
Officers arrived at the scene but did not locate anyone inside the vehicle, which was registered to a man in Withee. The vehicle had disabling damage to the front passenger side wheel and functional damage to the entire front end. A tow truck arrived and removed the vehicle from the scene.
An officer contacted the registered vehicle owner and asked him what happened. He said he was driving west on West Spruce Street and accidently hit the accelerator instead of the brake while going around a corner. He said after the vehicle came to a rest at the bottom of the hill, someone in a truck offered him a ride. When the officer ask why he hadn’t reported the accident, the vehicle owner said he knew he should have. The officer had previous contact with the vehicle owner earlier that night, and observed him to be intoxicated at a local bar. The vehicle owner denied driving while drunk. The officer advised him that he would be mailed citations.
_ June 27 - An officer ran the license plate of a vehicle traveling north on STH 13 in Colby, and the registered owner came back as not having a driver’s license. The officer pulled the vehicle over as it turned onto East Park Street. The officer met with the driver and could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle. When asked if there was any marijuana in the car, the driver pulled out his ashtray and showed the officer three smoked marijuana blunts. The officer ran the driver through dispatch, and he came back as having a revoked license due to an alcohol-related offense.
Another officer arrived on scene, and a search of the vehicle was done. In addition to the three smoked blunts, the officer found vape cartridges with marijauna and a glass pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamine. Dispatch advised that the driver had three open cases through Marathon County, and all three of them required him to maintain absolute sobriety and not possess any controlled substances. The driver was arrested for possession of marijuana, three counts of bail jumping, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving after revocation due an alcoholrelated offense. A total of 5.1 grams marijuana was confiscated, and the glass pipe tested positive for meth.
_ June 27- An officer was driving south on STH 13 in Colby when he saw a vehicle with no headlights or taillights on after dark. The offi cer pulled vehicle over near Park Street, and met with the driver, who had to be shown how to turn the lights on. The driver said this was not her vehicle, but the officer said she still needed to know how to turn the lights. The officer identified the driver with a driver’s license and had all of the passengers write down their names and dates of birth.
A K-9 officer arrived on scene, and his dog alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. The vehicle was searched, and three vape pens were discovered. The driver was warned about driving without headlights on and driving without proof of insurance. She and one of the passengers were cited for underage possession of tobacco.
_ June 28 - An officer was traveling on East Spruce Street in Abbotsford when he ran the license plate of a vehicle in front of him. The registered owner of the vehicle came back as not having a valid license, so the officer pulled the vehicle over. The offi cer met with the driver, who identified himself with a valid driver’s license. The officer could smell marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Both the driver and his passenger denied that there was any marijuana in the vehicle. The passenger had several warrants out for his arrest, and he was taken into custody.
A search of the vehicle uncovered four vape cartridges with marijuana leafs on the packaging. The driver admitted that all of the cartridges belonged to him. He was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and warned about driving without insurance.
_ June 28 - An officer was dispatched to a Colby residence in response to a theft complaint. He met with a woman who said someone had stolen a bottle of oxycodone from her father. The complainant said she comes to her father’s house every day to give him the painkillers if he needs them. She said she last administered the medication the day before, and when she returned that day, the nearly full bottle was replaced with an empty one. The old bottle was dated 2021, and the complainant had no idea where it came from.
Besides her sister, the complainant said her father’s apartment manager is the only one who has access to the apartment. She said her father had just spoken to the manager the day before, and she had lots of questions about where he was going, how long he would be gone and when he would be back. Her father thought her questions were strange but did not think more about until the prescription meds went missing. The complainant said the manager comes to her father’s apartment frequently to inventory appliances, she often spends long periods of time in his bathroom. The officer tried several times to call the apartment manager, but he was unable to get a hold of her.
_ June 29 - An officer investigated possible ordinance violations at residences in Colby and Abbotsford. At a house on South Third Street in Colby, the officer observed some indoor furniture that was remaining outdoors after previous inspections on June 8 and June 15. A van with expired license plates was now gone. At a house on North Fourth Street in Abbotsford, the officer could see a pile of debris and junk next to the home and long grass that did not appear to have been mowed all year. Warning letters were sent to the property owners.
_ July 1 - Two officers were on patrol in Colby when they passed through the intersection of Adams Street and STH 13, going east to west. As they were crossing, a truck going southbound drove through the red light and came within a car’s length of striking the officers’ squad vehicle. The officers immediately began to pursue the vehicle as it continued southbound, activating their emergency lights. The truck continued southbound, crossing the white fog line and eventually turning into a gravel lot, running over the curb in the process. The truck eventually came to a stop in the parking lot.
An officer met with the driver, whose voice was slow and slurred. He did not realize why he had been pulled over. The officer told him he ran a red light and nearly hit a squad vehicle. The driver claimed he thought the light was yellow, but the officer informed him it was red. The officer could smell alcohol as they spoke. The driver initially said he had one or two beers, but then said he had three or four. The driver admitted that his license was suspended due to an alcohol-related offense. While walking back to his squad car, the officer noticed several empty beer cans in the bed of the truck.
The driver was unsteady on his feet and had to grab onto the side of truck for balance as he exited the vehicle for field sobriety tests. He had trouble maintaining his balance during the tests, and showed other signs of intoxication. A preliminary breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of .227. He was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. A deputy who showed up on scene located an open beer on center console that was still cold to the touch. Two other empty beer cans were located inside the truck. The driver was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw. The driver was cited for operating while revoked, driving under the influence (second offense) and violating a red traffic light.
_ July 1 - An officer was dispatched to a Colby residence in reference to a child custody complaint. The complaint came from a man who said he was supposed to pick up his two daughters at their mother’s place in Colby, but they were not there at the scheduled pickup time. The complainant also showed the officer a text message from exwife, saying she was advised to keep their daughters and for him to call her lawyer if he had questions. The complainant asked the officer if this could be considered kidnapping, but the officer said no. The complainant wanted the incident documented, as he said it was a violation of their child custody agreement.
The officer also spoke to the ex-wife’s current boyfriend, who was at the mother’s residence. He was upset that the complainant had showed up at the residence and said there were issues with him taking care of the daughters. He said he does not trust the complainant with the children. He said the mother had taken the children away from the house so they would not be around their father. The officer said he would document his comments in his report.
_ July 4 - An officer met with a man who had come to Abbotsford to obtain custody of his daughter from his exwife. He said he had driven all the way from the Green Bay area, but the mother and daughter did not show up. According to the child custody agreement, the mother was entitled to have custody on the July 4th holiday, but it was not to interfere with the child attending summer school, which ran from July 4 to July 8. The officer contacted the mother, who said she planned on doing the custody exchange the following day because July 4th was her holiday with the daughter. She said she was aware of the summer school conflict, but said she was still entitled to the July 4 holiday. The officer advised the complainant of the conversation he had with the mother.
_ July 4 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford residence in reference to a domestic disturbance. As he was approaching the residence, he located a female juvenile walking away from the house. The officer met with her and asked her what was going on. She said she was leaving because “they” were arguing. When asked to explain further, she started crying. The officer then met with a male subject who was not wearing a shirt or shoes and had alcohol on his breath. He said his ex-girlfriend was inside the house and he wanted her to leave.
The officer met with the exgirlfriend, who said she had come over earlier in the day and was planning on watching fireworks with the male subject and his daughter. She said he began yelling at his daughter, and she intervened, which prompted him to slap her across the face. She said she hit him in the back and left the residence. She said the male party had been drinking all day, and she was afraid of him.
The officer next spoke to the male party. He walked the offi cer through his house as he described the incident. The officer saw a stand-up fan on the floor of the bedroom, and the top of the fan was disconnected to the base. The male party said his ex-girlfriend grabbed the fan from the floor and threw it at him, striking him in the face. He said she also grabbed his backpack and was going to throw it at him, but did not. He said he told her to leave his house and that he was calling 911. He said they continued to argue very loudly and she started putting her hands on him. He said she grabbed his hair and scratching him in the chest. He said he put his hands up to block her. He denied ever hitting her. The officer could see red scratch marks on his chest and red marks on his arm and back.
The officer asked the male subject why his ex-girlfriend was at his residence if they were no longer dating. He said she is dating a “junkie” and wants to come back to him. He said he still loves her and has feelings for her.
When asked if he had anything to drink, the male subject said no. The officer said he could smell alcohol on him, and then the male subject admitted to drinking a minimal amount. He admitted he was out on bond and was not allowed to consume alcohol. He refused to submit to a preliminary breath test. The offi cer told him that he would not be arrested, but he would be charged with felony bail jumping based on his observations. Dispatch confirmed that the subject was on bond with the condition that he not consume alcohol.
The officer returned to the ex-girlfriend and told her she was under arrest for domestic battery/disorderly conduct. She was transported to Clark County Jail and handed over to jail staff. While at the jail, the officer learned that the male subject was driving to the jail to bond his ex-girlfriend’s bond.
_ July 4 - An officer was traveling east on Spruce Street when he observed a vehicle come to a stop at a red light at STH 13. The officer ran the vehicle’s registration plate, and the registered owner came back as not having a driver’s license. The vehicle had stopped several feet behind the white line at the intersection, and because the vehicle was parked so far back, the lights remained red even though there was no cross traffic. After about one minute, the offi cer honked his horn to get the vehicle to move forward. The vehicle moved slowly forward, triggering the lights to change.
The officer continued to follow the vehicle as it headed east, weaving in its lane of traffic as it drove past Cemetery Avenue toward STH 29. As it is passed Cemetery Avenue, the vehicle crossed the centerline, so the officer pulled the vehicle over on the STH 29 eastbound ramp near Silver Maple Lane. The officer met with the driver, who had droopy eyelids and glossy, bloodshot eyes. The officer could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle as they spoke. When asked how many drinks he had consumed, the driver said one or two beers. The driver did not have any identification. The driver wrote down his name and birthdate instead.
The officer conducted field sobriety tests, and the driver had trouble following instructions and maintaining his balance. A preliminary breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of .190. The driver was arrested for drunk driving, and the officer found a photo ID card in his wallet with a name that did not match the one he wrote down. Dispatch reported that the driver did not have a valid license. The driver was taken to the police station, where he was cited for drunk driving and driving without a license. The officer attempted to get a breathalyzer reading, but the driver gave several deficient samples, so the officer wrote it down as a refusal. The driver was turned over to a sober party.
