ABBOTSFORD, Wis. (WSAU) -- Marathon County officials have identified a man who was killed in a semi-pedestrian crash in Abbotsford this weekend as a Sheboygan man. 29-year-old Brandon Sargent was struck along Highway 29 around 4am Saturday morning. Sargent was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield where he later died of his injuries. Sheriff's officials are still investigating the crash. The name of the driver has not been released and they have not been cited at this time.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - There’s a new ordinance on the books prohibiting the parking of a trailer or boat on city streets overnight between 11 p.m and 5 a.m.. Captain Bob Wallace said the ordinance is directed at trailers not connected to an operable tow vehicle. Wallace said the regulation was developed in response to an ongoing problem of people using city streets to store utility and recreational trailers. He said some utility trailers loaded with junk and scrap have been left parked on the street for days, creating parking problems and an unsightly streetscape. Wallace said there will be a brief period of education but, after that, the trailers will be towed away at the owner’s expense. The full text of the ordinance is up on the police website at sheboyganpolice.com.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - The results are in regarding a heroin survey conducted recently by the Sheboygan Police Department. Captain Jim Veeser said the purpose of the survey was to find out what local residents knew about this drug that has grown in use in the area.
Based on these results, Veeser said this will help with the creation of a plan design to educate residents about the dangers and consequences associated with this illegal drug. That will be the job of the “Sheboygan County Service Providers," a new group consisting of area law enforcement, health care professionals, educators, and non-profit groups.
Survey results are posted on the police department’s website.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man will spend 27 months in prison for stealing a handgun and a DS from his roommate. 33 year old Joseph Servio was sentenced recently in Sheboygan County Court. He stole the 9 millimeter handgun and the gaming equipment last July, then sold it for $200 and one Adderall pill. The gun was later recovered. In addtion to the prison time, Servio will spend 3 years on extended supervision when he gets out.
SHEBOYGAN FALLS, WI (WHBL) - City of Sheboygan Falls residents will pay more towards city services next year. The city’s common council approved the 2014 budget Tuesday evening following no comments from the public.
The $5.45 million budget is up 2.23-percent from this year, which includes a 4.1-percent increase in the tax levy to over $3.03 million. Mayor Randy Meyer said this was due to factors such as cuts in shared revenues and making sure their self funded health insurance had adequate funding. Meyer added the budget does include funding for the city's Main Street program and the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation.
The tax rate will increase 17 cents to $5.25 per thousand assessed value. The budget does not include any payments towards the upcoming renovations to the city municipal building. That will begin in 2015.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - What may have been considered the anchor of Sheboygan’s Riverfront is closing. The Brisco County Wood Grill has closed after 14 years. The notice of closing was posted on the popular restaurant’s Facebook page yesterday stating, “Brisco County Wood Grill is closed. We have had so many really great times and memories and made so many wonderful friends over the past 14 and a half years. But as of today Brisco is no more.” The post went on to thank customers and friends. It is the second departure from Sheboygan’s Harbor Center Business Improvement District in just over a week. Last Tuesday, Bon Ton Stores announced that the Boston Store will be closing at the end of January.
MANITOWOC, WI (WHBL) - TWO RIVERS POLICE CHIEF JOE COLLINS HAS NOW RELEASED THE NAMES OF THE VICTIM AND SUSPECT IN LAST NIGHT'S ROAD RAGE CHASE INCIDENT THAT TOOK THE LIFE OF A YOUNG TWO RIVERS MAN AND LANDED A 22-YEAR OLD MANITOWOC MALE IN THE COUNTY JAIL. COLLINS IDENTIFIED THE VICTIM AS 19-YEAR OLD ERIC NEUMAN..AND THE SUSPECT AS SHAUN LISCHKA...WHO IS FACING HOMICIDE BY NEGLIGENT OPERATION OF A VEHICLE AND HIT & RUN CAUSING DEATH. LISCHKA WAS ARRESTED AT HIS MANITOWOC HOME AFTER FLEEING THE SCENE OF THE CRASH ON MEMORIAL DRIVE, NEAR AURORA MEDICAL CENTER. TWO RIVERS POLICE LIEUTENANT JOHN REIMER SAYS NEUMAN "WENT TO A MANITOWOC FACTORY WITH 3-OTHER MALES TO SETTLE A FIGHT WITH SHAUN LISCHKA... REIMER INDICATED 'NO' FIGHT OCCURRED & NEUMAN AND 3-OTHER MALES, AGES 16, 19 & 20 JUMPED IN A PICKUP TRUCK..WITH THE SUSPECT IN PURSUIT FROM SOUTH 21ST STREET, NEAR HOLY FAMILY MEMORIAL. THE CHASE CONTINUED ON MEMORIAL DRIVE, WHEN THE OLDER MALE SIDESWIPED THE TRUCK, RESULTING IN THE VICTIM LOSING CONTROL & CRASHING INTO A GUARDRAIL. NUEMAN SUFFERED A HEAD INJURY WHEN HE WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE..AND DIED AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL. LISCHKA WAS ALONE IN HIS VEHICLE WHILE A 16-YEAR OLD BOY IN NEUMAN'S TRUCK, SUSTAINED A MINOR HEAD INJURY, WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL & LATER RELEASED TO HIS PARENTS. LISCHKA IS DUE FOR A BAIL HEARING TODAY AT ONE O'CLOCK IN MANITOWOC COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT AND THE WISCONSIN STATE PATROL WILL DO A COMPLETE CRASH RECONSTRUCTION.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man has been bound over for trial for allegedly causing bodily harm to his six month old son. Judge Timothy Van Akkeren allowed the case against 21 year old Benito Zuniga Jr. to proceed following a preliminary hearing in Sheboygan County Court Wednesday.
During the hearing, the court heard from Detective Don Hammond, who said that Zuniga told him he had tripped and dropped the infant to the ground at his residence on South 12th Street this past Halloween. The court also heard over the phone from Dr. Alice Swenson, of Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee, who performed a consult of the infant and said he sustained multiple retinal hemorrhages. While there are several possible causes, Swenson said the most probable cause in infants is abusive head trauma.
Zuniga remains in custody and will be arraigned on December 6.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - The Sheboygan Police and Fire Commission has named Assistant Fire Chief Vern Koch interim chief to head the department while the commission searches for a permanent successor to the retiring chief, Jeff Hermann. Hermann announced last month that he will be stepping down at the end of the year after more than 30 years with the department. Koch will take over on January 1st.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Collecting American flags that decorated the graves of veterans at Holy Cross Cemetery on Sheboygan's Southside was the first public service undertaken by the Wilson Elementary School Above the Influence Club. Above the Influence focuses on working with young students to encourage service to others while helping prevent students making negative choices about drugs and alcohol. Before the collection, Sexton Dan Ristow told the students about the 125 year history of the cemetery and the reason for the American flags on the graves of veterans.
MANITOWOC, WI (WHBL) - A five-thousand-dollar bond was set yesterday for a Manitowoc man while he awaits charges in a hit-and-run road-rage crash that killed a teenager. The victim has been identified as 19-year-old Eric Neuman, of Two Rivers. Authorities said Neuman and three other men went to a factory in Manitowoc late Tuesday night to settle a score with 22-year-old Shawn Lischka. Police said there was no fight at the plant, but Neuman and the other three drove off in a pick-up truck. Lischka pursued them through Manitowoc into Two Rivers. Officials said Lischka sideswiped Neuman's vehicle, which then spun into a guardrail and ejected the driver. He died at a hospital. A 16-year-old boy in the truck was treated for a head injury. Two others in the truck were not hurt. A prosecutor said Lischka drove off after the crash, and was arrested at his home later after he tried hiding the damage to his vehicle. Lischka has not been charged yet. Police are recommending counts of hit-and-run causing death, and negligent homicide.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man faces a theft charge for stealing hand bells from an area church. 57-year-old David Neese is alleged to have taken a set of 37 hand bells from the First Presbyterian Church in Sheboygan - reported missing earlier this year - valued at over 10 thousand dollars.
According to the criminal complaint, Sheboygan Police were informed on November 17 that two cases containing some of the bells were purchased off EBay by someone in California. An investigation found that the bells were pawned by Neese, who was an active member of the church, to three Pawn America stores in Wisconsin.
Neese now faces up to the six years in prison if found guilty.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A homeless man faces burglary and theft charges for stealing items from vehicles and a garage on Sheboygan’s north side earlier this week.
According to the criminal complaint, Sheboygan Police investigated a call Tuesday evening of a person entering a garage around the intersection of Saemann Avenue and North 21st Street. The person, identified as 43 year old Johnny LaVora, was found inside a vehicle in the garage and taken into custody. Authorities found a number of items on LaVora, including a GPS system, a knife, and a car registration certificate, taken from several residences in the area.
The complaint adds that police investigated an incident an hour earlier near the area where LaVora allegedly threatened to harm a person who had helped him out over the past month.
LaVora faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.
MILWAUKEE, WI (WHBL) - A jury in Milwaukee has awarded 39-million dollars in damages for a freak incident at a downtown parking ramp that killed a teenager three-and-a-half years ago. After hearing five weeks of testimony, jurors found the Random Lake firm of Advance Cast Stone mainly responsible for the death of 15-year-old Jared Kellner and injuries to two others. The company installed a decorative concrete panel that fell from the second floor of the O'Donnell Park ramp, with the three victims right below it as they were heading to Summerfest. The ramp's owner, Milwaukee County, was awarded six million dollars for the repairs it had to make. The victims' awards were for injuries, pain-and-suffering, and emotional distress. Advance Cast Stone was also told to pay 15-million dollars in punitive damages. The company was found 88-percent at fault. A construction management firm was found 10-percent liable, and it reached a settlement with the plaintiffs earlier. Milwaukee County was found two-percent at fault. Issues remain over insurance coverage. Those issues will be explored during a court hearing on Monday.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Motorists in Sheboygan County were caught off guard by slippery roads Friday morning. The Sheriff’s Department said most of the problems were in the western part of the county. Two incidents involved vehicle rollovers, one about 6:30 near Kohler where one person was ejected, and the other about 20 minutes later east of Elkhart Lake.
Lt. Mark Rupnik said in total there were three accidents that did caused injuries, two of which require transports to hospitals, three accidents without injuries, and one vehicle in the ditch incident.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - The nine day gun deer season gets underway tomorrow across Wisconsin. Plymouth based DNR Wildlife Biologist Dale Katsma said there are more deer than what they want to see in Sheboygan County. This had led to a classification of herd control units in our area, meaning that there will be no restrictions in area hunting units such as buck only harvests or the number of additional tags issued.
This is the latest the season can start, and Katsma said the typically colder weather can hinder hunters by keeping them inside more due to the cold and keeping deer from wanting to move. However, a bit of snow like we saw Friday morning could help hunters in tracking deer.
Overall, Katsma said people need to make sure they stay safe when out in the woods and fields. This includes knowing where others in your hunting party are, keeping your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot, and knowing what is behind your intended target when you shoot.
Hunters will be allowed to use rifles nearly everywhere due to the state Natural Resources Board dropping a state level restriction on its use in our area of the state. The Town of Holland is the only township in Sheboygan County we have heard of that has kept the restriction.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Fire caused by a space heater late Friday morning caused an estimated $25,000 damage to a southside Sheboygan apartment. The Fire Department was dispatched after receiving reports of smoke and flames coming from a second story window at 1505 Union Avenue. Firefighters entered and found a couch burning in the living room and quickly put it out, but there was extensive smoke damage to the apartment. The tenant was unable to return and has been assisted by the Red Cross. Shift Commander Gary Kolberg said a space heater placed too close to the couch had ignited it.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man who was allegedly involved in the theft of 15-thousand dollars has been arrested and charged with felony theft. Authorities said 21 year old Jonathan Parker, in September, was with two companions at a home in Sheboygan - where he was supposed to do some remodeling work - when they found the money in a bank bag, took it, and headed for Milwaukee. The homeowner had recently received money from his mother’s estate and had hidden it behind a TV. According to the criminal complaint, police received information that Parker had recently returned to Sheboygan and he was arrested. He said he only received a couple of thousand dollars from the loot while his companions kept the rest. He's facing up to ten years in prison.
CASCADE, WI (WHBL) - A Cascade man was wounded Sunday while deer hunting in Sheboygan County. The Sheriff’s Department said the 52 year old man was shot in the back of the leg while hunting from a deer stand off of County E in the town of Lyndon. Area DNR Warden Mike Clutter said two men in the tree stand were shooting at the same deer, which caused one hunter to accidentally hit the other. Lt. Mark Rupnik said Cascade First Responders were assisted by the man’s hunting party and brought him out of the woods using the Cascade Fire Department’s 6 by 6 vehicle. He was taken to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton for treatment of the non-life threatening leg injury.
