DODGE COUNTY, WI (WHBL/KFIZ/Learfield) - Dodge County Sheriff's officials say alcohol and speed were factors in a fatal crash in the north-central portion of the county Saturday night.

Deputies responded to an accident on County Highway E about a mile east of Highway 26 near Horicon shortly after 11 p.m.

Investigators determined a 2001 Toyota Corolla was heading west when the driver went onto the shoulder of the road, spun off the road and struck a culvert and tree.

The driver was wearing a seatbelt, but died at the scene of the crash.

Dodge County sheriff's officials identified the driver as 36 year old Dave Power.  He was the band director at Eau Claire Memorial High School.  Media reports say he returned to the school system after five years away at college and conducting a pair of youth groups.

OSHKOSH, WI (WHBL/KFIZ) - More details may be made public Monday after a person was arrested in connection to a murder in Oshkosh Sunday.

Police took 30 year old Samson Gomol into custody without incident shortly before noon Sunday after he was spotted in the city.

Gomol is the only suspect police sought in connection with the murder of a 42-year-old woman. She was discovered dead in an upstairs apartment after police investigated shots being fired at her residence shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

Police thank residents for calling in to report Gomol's location, adding the public is not in any future danger from what they are calling a targeted incident.

TOWN OF PLYMOUTH, WI (WHBL) - The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department is in need of the public’s help as they investigate damage done to vehicles at a Town of Plymouth business.

The department says 30-to-40 thousand dollars worth of damage was done to three sprint cars at Rhine Auto near Elkhart Lake when sand and gravel was put into their fuel and oil compartments.  The vehicles were in a trailer at the business’ Garton Road location.  Also, ten five gallon alcohol fuel jugs were contaminated with an unknown substance.

The sheriff’s department says the crime was committed between 9 p.m. on August 28 and 10 a.m. on August 29.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s department at 459-3112.  Tips can also be sent in through the county’s Crime Stoppers program in three ways:

-Go online to cufthem.com and click on the "Give a Tip" link on the webpage's left side.

-Call the program's toll free phone line at 1-877-283-8436 (that 1-877-CUF-THEM)

-Submit a text message tip by texting "SCTIP" plus your tip to '274637'

Submitting a tip can by done anonymously, and any tip that leads to a successful arrest could make a person eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Fond du Lac, WI (WHBL- KFIZ) - Dodge County prosecutors have charged a 46-year-old Fond du Lac woman fore alleged taking more than $142,000 from the Lomira business she worked at as an officer manager.

Tessa Hilt will face five felony theft counts when makes her initial court appearance next month. She allegedly took the money from Waas Boring and Cable to pay her personal expenses including her mortgage.

Washington, DC (WHBL- KFIZ) - Congressman Glenn Grothman is asking that leadership in the House tie any Social Security Disability Insurance reform to increases in the nation’s debt ceiling.

He says it’s one of the reasons spending in the nation’s capitol is out of control. Grothman says without changes the Social Security Disability Insurance Trust Fund will exhaust its funds next year. He points outs out in 2013 alone, the program wasted over $1 billion sending the wrong payments to 36,000 people

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - The worker shortage in our area of the state has been around for several years, and one organization is stepping up efforts to help solve it.

Specifically, 27-hundred open positions are available at companies and businesses in Sheboygan County.  However, some of them will remain open due to a lack of people who have the skills necessary.

That has prompted the Sheboygan County Chamber to hold a workforce development executive summit Tuesday morning at Blue Harbor.  "We have over 200 people attending this event, and a really good balance of educators and business folks," says Executive Director Betsy Alles.

Alles says attendees will discuss possible future collaborative programs.  "How do we make sure we have this pipeline working that gives us the best opportunities to hire people in Sheboygan County to have great jobs, family supporting jobs?"

The chamber’s Workforce Development Manager, Tammy Graf, says it’s not the chamber’s job to come up with the solutions, but rather help facilitate ways for those impacted to have the resources needed to address the problem.

NORTH FOND DU LAC, WI (WHBL/KFIZ) - The North Fond du Lac Police and Fire Commission unanimously accepted the resignation of former Fire Chief Richard Zmuda Monday afternoon.

He submitted it last week after he was taken into custody wanted on theft charges in Bradford, Pennsylvania where he lived prior to being hired as village fire chief last month.

Commissioner Jim Frank asked the burning question, "How did he keep everything that was hidden so long?"  Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says the police department did a criminal background check and he called Zmuda's references. He says they had no way of knowing.

Police Chief Darren Pautsch says unless a person has been adjudicated or convicted a criminal background check is not going to show a person is being investigated. But he feels if Zmuda knew he was being investigated he should have let the village know during the hiring process.

Hornung says it's unfortunate because Zmuda seemed to be doing a good job for the village.

Zmuda is accused of stealing nearly $48,000 from an elderly aunt who had entrusted him with money from an insurance policy.  He waived extradition to Pennsylvania last week.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man failed to show up for his sentencing for firing a gun at a home last November.

33 year old Jermaine Hampton was scheduled Monday to be sentenced after a jury found him guilty in June of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Online court records show Hampton failed to show up, prompting Judge L. Edward Stengel to reschedule a hearing for Friday.  Another failure to show would result in a bench warrant.

Hampton was arrested after he fired a gun from the street at a home during an argument on the 1500 block of South 14th Street November 22.

Hampton faces up to 22-and-a-half years in prison, and fines up to 50-thousand dollars.

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - August was a good month for home sales in Sheboygan County, but not for prices.

The latest data from the Wisconsin Realtors Association shows 17 more homes were sold last month in the county when compared to August of last year, an increase of over 13 percent.  That increase is above the state average of three-percent.

However, the median price for homes sold was down nearly five-thousand dollars from last year, or over three percent.  That was also below the statewide increase in price of nearly three-percent.

Through the first two-thirds of 2015, Sheboygan County has seen homes sales up nearly five percent, and the median price just over two percent.

It is well below the statewide increases seen this year; with home sales up over 12-percent and prices up just over six percent.

Fond du Lac County,WI (WHBL-KFIZ) - A 20-year-old Marquette, Wisconsin man was killed when his passenger car was hit by a semi near Rosendale this morning.

Fond du Lac County Chief Deputy Mark Strand says the driver was heading east on County Highway TC approaching State Highway 26. He says for whatever reason he did not stop at a stop sign and his car was broadsided by a northbound semi. Strand says he probably died instantly.

  No one else was in the car with the victim. He says notifications of next-of-kin still have to be made.

The truck driver, a 55-year-old Fort Atkinson man, was not hurt. Both the car and semi had to be towed from the scene. The accident was reported shortly after 8 a.m.

Sheboygan, WI (WHBL) Their relationship began in high school and  over time they had a child together. Then, she moved on- citing a tumultuous and abusive relationship. That’s the start of what is now one big mess.

23-year-old Asmir Mahmutagic sent nearly one hundred threatening text messages to the mother of his son dating back to August 20. That’s what a criminal complaint alleges led to his arrest on felony stalking charges and domestic abuse.

But it wasn’t just the number of messages. There were serious threats. In one incident, the victim alleges that Mahmutagic threatened to shoot her between the eyes , cut out her eyes with a spoon, and kill her entire family.

Sheboygan County deputies were called to a home in the Town of Sheboygan on September 17, 2015 where the victim showed deputies a litany of text messages that were sent to her phone from Mahmutagic. Some of the messages were quite chilling, including one that appears to threaten the woman for putting him on child support. It reads, “U better take me off, or one day soon I’ll snap and kill you and your MF family bitch, you feel me?”

The messages apparently escalated as a court date approached on September 17. That’s when Mahmutagic fired off numerous text messages threatening to assault the woman and whomever accompanied her to court.  One message promised that someone would end up in the hospital and someone would be in jail. The final straw, according to the criminal complaint,  is a text message to the woman that says, “I promise you I will kill you - like dead.”

The victim told deputies that she was afraid to go home after receiving the messages and acknowledged that Mahmutagic somehow found her family’s address and would periodically sit outside and threaten to harm her and her new husband.

When Sheboygan deputies made contact with Mahmutagic and advised him of the charges, he reportedly said “Yeah, what would you do if she didn’t let you see your son?”

Mahmutagic could face up to three years and six months in prison for the stalking charge and face fines of up to $10,000, if convicted.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Anyone who travels along Calumet Drive in Sheboygan will notice the large green building on its east side, but what is inside?  Hundreds got the chance to find out when RCS held an open house Tuesday.

The private nonprofit organization is celebrating its 60th year of existence, and the open house showcased what is done at their location and two plants along Calumet and Geele Avenue.

"The main purpose of RCS is to help our clients get jobs in the community and develop work skills, develop sportsmanship skills, class management skills, time management skills; basically life skills in general," says Dave Payton, who is a day services instructor.

RCs helps to serve over 800 people that have physical and/or mental disabilities annually live more normal lives.  Those who attended the open house got the chance to walk though the various classrooms clients use to learn skills for work and life.

The organization has helped over 100 local companies get employees for jobs.  Also, the two plants they run helps over 60 businesses with work done by clients such as packaging and labeling.

Payton says what RCS does have a bigger impact than that.  "It’s a great place to work and interact with people that you possibly wouldn’t interact with.  I love doing a play and they get a big kick out of it and so does the community as well."

Clients Eric and Scott say the benefits they get are life changing.  "I’ve learned quite a lot," says Eric. "I’ve come a long way in the short time of being here.  I have a reason to get up in the morning."

"RCS is like heaven to me," says Scott.

To learn more about RCS, you can click here

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man has reached a plea deal for his sexually-related acts with two teenage girls this summer.

Online court records show 19 year old Jeremiah Detiege pleaded no contest Tuesday to charges of sexual intercourse with a child, two counts of exposing a child to harmful material, and bail jumping.  Judge Timothy Van Akkeren allowed a separate sexual intercourse of a child and five bail jumping counts to be dismissed.

Detiege was charged in late July after law enforcement found out one of the victims was talking to him, and he provided her a link to a website associated with child porn. An investigation found out he had sent pictures of his privates to her and a friend in June and July, and he had sex with one of the girls.

He is scheduled for sentencing on October 19th.

He is also scheduled for a plea hearing on October 15 for two counts of having sex with a 17 year old girl, associated with a separate incident from March.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man will serve 15 years in the state prison system for firing a gun at a home in Sheboygan last November.  Judge L. Edward Stengel sentenced 33 year old Jermaine Hampton Monday to seven years in a state prison, followed by eight years extended supervision.

A jury found Hampton guilty in June of first degree recklessly endangering safety and felon in possession of a firearm after he fired a gun towards a home on the 1500 block of South 14th Street November 22.

Online court records originally showed Hampton failed to show up for the sentencing hearing, prompting a rescheduling for this Friday.  However, a clerk of circuit court official tells WHBL News information from a different case was mistakenly entered for this case online, which has since been corrected.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Hubertus man can avoid jail time for using a stolen check from the Sheboygan YMCA last year if he avoids other legal troubles.

Judge L. Edward Stengel sentenced 44 year old Bradley Rohde Monday to two years probation after the defendant pleaded no contest to identity theft to obtain money.

The criminal complaint states the YMCA got word last August that several men had attempted to cash one of its checks at banks in the Racine area.  An investigation found the check was intended for a business, but got intercepted and was duplicated two times.  Rohde was one of three men identified on surveillance video trying to cash the checks.

If he fails to fulfill his probation, Rohde will have to spend up to 90 days in jail.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - On Tuesday several hundred people attended a workforce development summit at Blue Harbor hosted by the Sheboygan County Chamber.  The event brought together local business and education leaders to discuss the workers shortage in Sheboygan County and what can be done to address it.

So what happens now?  The chamber's Workforce Development Manager Tammy Graf says that will be up to their Business Education Partnership committee.

"We’ll take what everybody says, we’ll tally all of that up, and we might have to reach out for a task force as we divvy up what those priorities are, because obviously, again going back to collaborating and it is a community issue," says Graf.

Graf says past work by this group has led to the development of several new groups to address similar workers situations.  "What they’ve done in the past is Coastal Young Professional Network actually was originated out of this group; Inspire Sheboygan County, that actually was with the B-E-P, and also Career Connections came out of that too."

Graf says any new way to address the workers shortage will probably be a program that is run outside of the chamber’s control but they can assist in some way.  This work is expected to be a focus for the chamber for at least the next several years.

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - For the most part, job and unemployment numbers were good for the month of August in our area.

The latest numbers from the Department of Workforce Development Wednesday showed the Sheboygan metro area lost one hundred seasonally adjusted jobs last month when compared to July.  That was the only bad news for the area, as job growth for the previous twelve months was up 11-hundred positions.

As for unemployment rates, Sheboygan County’s dropped half a percent to three-point-one, while the City of Sheboygan’s dropped sixth-tenths of a percent to three-point-five.

Sheboygan County’s rate is tied for third lowest in the state, as every county, large city and metro area saw unemployment drop last month.

GREENBUSH, WI (WHBL) - It’s considered one of the largest Civil War encampments and battle re-enactments in Wisconsin, and it happens right in our own backyard.

Wade House in Greenbush will hold its 25th Civil War Weekend this Saturday and Sunday.

Event Coordinator Jim Willaert says over 500 re-enactors will re-create battles around Atlanta during the spring of 1864.  "Which dealt with a lot of defensive earthworks, and the Confederate re-enactors have been in building earthworks and cannon emplacements; so it should be an interesting battle, should be exciting."

The Union and the Confederacy will put on a skirmish both Saturday and Sunday at 11am, with a full scale battle at 2pm both days.

There is more to the event than the battles as other parts of the weekend include periodic music, re-enactors portraying Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, presentations about escaped slave Caroline Quarlis and flags of the Confederacy, and a family tent filled with activities.

Willaert says there are plenty of opportunities for attendees to get up close.  "They can do everything from make period crafts, play period games, (and) learn how to setup a soldier’s dog tent.  They can join some of the re-enactors and learn how to march and drill as a Civil War soldier would have done on a daily basis."

More information on the weekend, including hours and admission price, can be found by clicking here.

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan teenager will have to spend three months in jail and three years on probation for stealing a gun from her mother.

Judge Timothy Van Akkeren sentenced 17 year old Toni Molla this week after she pleaded no contest to a theft charge.

Molla was charged back in July after she was found inside a vehicle that was chased by Milwaukee Police in that city.  Her mother had reported her missing a few days earlier to Sheboygan Police, and a day later reported her handgun was taken from her Weeden Creek home.

When asked about the gun, Molla reportedly said she took it to sell it.

As part of her sentence Molla will have to serve 20 hours of community service, and will be required to get her high school diploma to complete her probation.

NORTH FOND DU LAC, WI (WHBL/KFIZ) - A North Fond du Lac man got more than he bargained for when he tried to arrange a sexual encounter Wednesday night.

Village Police Chief Darren Pautsch says two women were supposed to show up for the encounter that he set up online.  However, the two waited in a car down the block while a 24-year-old Neenah man tried to rob the 26-year-old victim at his home.

The suspect allegedly had something that looked like a gun, later identified as an Airsoft pistol.  Police were able to catch up with the suspect and the two women when their vehicle became disabled.  The two women told officers they were told to go to the man's house and try to take money from him.

The Neenah man is now facing possible charges of criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct, and bail jumping.  Pautsch says additional charges may be filed.