SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A convicted sex offender is being released from prison and will be living in the city of Sheboygan. Police said 35 year old Jason Martin will be living at 1123 North 14th Street and will be under 24 hour electronic monitoring. Authorities said he has served his sentence and is not wanted by police. Martin has served time in prison for sexual assault of a child and sexual exploitation of a child. He will be paroled next week.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan County may replace its coroner position with a medical examiner next year.
County Administrator Adam Payne said county officials have been discussing this for some time, but the most recent request comes from current Coroner Dave Leffin. He is retiring from the position after 28 years, and he feels the change to a medical examiner would ensure the best person for the position is found.
Payne said the only change it would have on the public is that the position would no longer be elected every four years, but rather appointed by the county government. Residents should expect the same quality of work from a medical exaiminer within current budget limits.
An ordinance to make the change will be introduced to the county board at their meeting next week.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Two people who are facing charges in a heroin overdose in the city of Sheboygan will be back in Sheboygan County Court for preliminary hearings today. 26 year old Monica Sanchez, of Sheboygan, and 34 year old Leanel Holder, of Illinois, are facing charges of reckless homicide in the death of 43 year old William Widucki. He was found dead of a heroin overdose in his home on John Court last December. Sanchez and Holder are alleged to have provided the heroin. Today’s proceeding will determine if there is enough evidence for a trial.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department is warning motorists to be careful on roads this Friday as black ice is causing a number of vehicles to go off roadways. As of late morning, there have been 18 vehicles in the ditch, seven accidents, and one incident with injuries.
Lt. Mark Rupnik said snow from yesterday's snowfall is blowing onto treated roadways. This plus the ground temperatures from the cold winter this season is causing black ice to form. Motorists may see a wet roadway, but in reality it can cause sudden loss of control for a vehicle.
Rupnik said the area with the most incident has been on I-43 north of Sheboygan and roads between Plymouth and Sheboygan Falls.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - It's supposed to warm up considerably next week but some residents in the city of Sheboygan are not out of the woods yet. The Sheboygan Water Utility has warned that colder temperatures are still forecast for Friday and Saturday night. Superintendent Joe Trueblood is urging customers to run a stream of water through the night time hours. Trueblood said utility crews continue to work repairing broken water mains and thawing frozen water laterals. He said as of Friday they were dealing with 5 water main breaks and 10 frozen laterals. Trueblood said customers who have experienced a frozen lateral or received a robo-call should maintain a pencil-sized stream of water flowing until temperatures moderate. He said a frozen lateral can take 1 to 3 hours to thaw using an electrical welder and the utility is facing a backlog.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan woman and an Illinois man have been bound over for trial in connection to the heroin overdose death of a Sheboygan man. 26 year old Monica Sanchez and 34 year old Leanel Holder each entered not guilty pleas to reckless homicide in Sheboygan County Court Friday.
A Sheboygan Police detective and state special investigator described during Holder’s preliminary hearing how Sanchez, working for Holder to deliver heroin in the area, gave some to her uncle - William Widucki - last December. He would be found dead hours later. Sanchez waived her right to a preliminary hearing.
These two are the latest in our area to face reckless homicide charges for fatal overdose deaths. Over the past two years, two people were sentenced and one goes to trial in April.
CASCADE, WI (WHBL) - A rural Waldo man was hospitalized Friday night after his snowmobile collided with a pickup truck and burst into flames. The Sheriff’s Department said it happened shortly after 7 o'clock when 29 year old Calen Leider was eastbound on a snowmobile trail and failed to stop at Tipperary Road just west of the Village of Cascade. He collided with a pickup driven by 39 year old Gregory Schultz, of rural Cascade, and was ejected from the snowmobile, which then started on fire. Leider suffered head injuries and was taken by ambulance to St. Nicholas Hospital. Schultz wasn’t injured.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Fire Saturday afternoon damaged a home on John Court. The blaze in the 1500 block was discovered about four o'clock and the Fire Department was dispatched. Shift Commander Pat Nicolaus said firefighters arrived on the scene to find a fire on the back porch with flames extending up an outside wall. The fire was quickly extinguished, but not before causing an estimated $8000 in damage. Nicolaus said a female occupant of the home had apparently fallen asleep while smoking earlier in the day, but had put the fire out and dragged the mattress to the porch. He said the mattress then reignited and started the back of the house on fire.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - Home sales in Sheboygan County started the new year with mixed numbers. The Wisconsin Realtors Association says the county had 76 home sales last month, 12 more than in January of 2013. However, the median price for home sales dropped nearly 12 percent compared to last year.
Statewide, the median home price was up over three percent last month, but the number of home sales was down nearly seven percent. The WRA blames the cold weather for the drop in sales. They also say trends are still pointing to a tightening of the housing market in the future, meaning prices will be going up.
TOWN OF MANITOWOC RAPIDS, WI (WHBL) - A Manitowoc man may face charges for causing a deadly two vehicle accident near Branch Sunday evening.
Sheriff officials say they received word of the accident around 6:55 p.m. on Highway 10 west of Village Drive in the Town of Manitowoc Rapids. They determined a 2001 Chevy pickup traveling east bound crossed the center line and collided with a 2009 Chevy Passenger traveling westbound. The 26 year old Manitowoc driver of the Passenger died at the scene.
The 20 year old pickup driver was treated for minor injuries at a Manitowoc hospital, and then taken into custody. The sheriff’s department is recommending charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and operating with a suspended license causing death.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - A Sheboygan man will be spending 4 years behind bars on drug charges. 31 year old Johan Keizer was sentenced recently in Sheboygan County Court to 4 years in prison to be follwed by 4 years on extended supervision. Keizer had sold heroin to undercover officers on several occasions in July of last year. He was arrested during one of the drug buys and swallowed the packet of heroin he had intended to deliver. Officers later executed a search warrant at Keizer's Lincoln Avenue apartment where they confiscated nearly $400 in cash and found evidence of heroin.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - The City of Sheboygan's Common Council will not meet for their scheduled time Monday evening. Mayor Mike Vandersteen said the cancellation is due to the deteriorating condtions outside from the latest winter storm to hit the area, which may prevent the council from having enough members attend to have a quorum. The meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 19, at 6 p.m. at Sheboygan City Hall.
A number of school districts, private and higher education institutions, churches, businesses and other groups have announced cancellations and closures do to the weather conditions this Monday. To find an updated list, click on the "Weather" tab at the top of any page on whbl.com, and then click on the "Cancellations" link.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Three Sheboygan residents face charges for their role in the assault of a man on the city’s north side Friday evening. 18 year old Andrew Aguilar, 17 year old Marissa Mathes, and 19 year old Devin Wollin each face a substantial battery felony for injuries sustained to 18 year old Jeremiah Detinge.
Jeremiah told Sheboygan Police he was waiting outside his residence on the 1300 block of MacArthur Avenue to meet with Marissa, when two people approached him on foot and attacked him. The two, later identified as Andrew and Devin, punched Jeremiah a number of times in the back of the head. He was taken to St. Nicholas Hospital for treatment of a concussion.
Police talked to the three involved, and determined the attack was staged as retribution for not getting a couch from Jeremiah to Devin quick enough.
Andrew also faces theft and criminal damage charges for stealing and destroying Jeremiah’s cell phone.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Two Sheboygan men each face a charge of manufacturing/delivering heroin that caused a death over the weekend. 49 year old Thomas Butzen died at Memorial Hospital Saturday evening after he injected heroin at an apartment in the 2800 block of North 12th Street and became unresponsive.
An investigation by Sheboygan Police determined 35 year old William Hook purchased heroin from 26 year old Joseph Deckert in order to cheer Thomas up from his depression. After Thomas injected himself with heroin, he said he felt really dizzy, fell off a couch and became unconscious.
Both men face up to 12 and a half years in prison if found guilty.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Cleanup continues around Sheboygan County after Monday's storm dumped 6 to 8 inches of snow on the area. The Sheriff’s Department reports roads are snow-covered and slippery this morning, especially the secondary roads. Sgt. Brad Jorsch said that since 8am Monday, there were 10 traffic accidents, one involving minor injury, and at least 31 vehicles in the ditch. The storm hit around mid-morning Monday and continued until about 9pm. Many schools shut down early, but it was already a day off for Sheboygan Area students for President’s Day.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Today is Primary Election day when the field of candidates seeking local municipal office is pared to just two candidates for the general election in April. There is one race on today’s ballot involving a seat on the County Board where 2nd district incumbent Fay Uraynar has opposition from Charles Windsor and Ronald Mueller. The top two candidates will advance to the April ballot. That district includes Wards 2,3, and 12 in the city of Sheboygan, and the city clerk’s office has combined them into one location for this election only. It is at the First Congregational Church on Bluff Avenue. The poll will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be scattered races throughout Sheboygan County for city, town, village and school board seats in the general election on April first.
PLYMOUTH, WI (WHBL) - Cassy Tully – Fine Art LLC opened its new gallery and framing shop location at 437 E. Mill St., Plymouth, and celebrated with a Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony. The gallery and framing shopoffers custom framing as well as original paintings, prints and commissioned painting consultations with the artist.
Pictured in the photo are Artist Cassy Tully, Chamber Ambassadors, Sheboygan County Chamber Executive Director Betsy Alles and supporters.
PLYMOUTH, WI (WHBL) - A Plymouth man faces 12 counts of possessing child pornography. 23 year old Dustin Courchaine is charged for having images on his cell phone depicting underage children taking part in sexual activities.
According to the criminal complaint, Plymouth Police received Courchaine’s cell phone last month from a Plymouth woman who had let him stayed at her residence a few days and left the cell phone there. A Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department computer forensic expert, who is also a member of the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force, verify the pictures as pornographic. When law enforcement interviewed Courchaine, he said he did download the images from the internet over the past weeks or months.
He now faces up to 25 years in prison for each felony count.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Sheboygan County is in a strong position going into 2014. That's what County Administrator Adam Payne told the county board Tuesday evening during his State of the County address. He said this is evident with the quality of programs and services the county provides, a continued outstanding financial track record, and the strong team working for the county.
Payne said this has led to the county lowering property taxes four of the past seven years, saving taxpayers over 40 million dollars, had the county been following statewide trends with raising property taxes.
Payne added many departments stayed near or below budget in 2013, allowing the county to be in a good financial position with its bond rating and healthy fund balance.
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) - Incumbent Sheboygan County Supervisor Fay Uraynar advanced to the April ballot in Tuesday's primary election. However, challenger Charles Windsor was the top vote-getter in the three-way race, garnering 90 votes to Uraynar’s 83. Ronald Mueller was eliminated with 45 votes. Uraynar and Windsor will face each other on April 1st for the 2nd District post.
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