PRESS RELEASES

 

Press Releases February 2012

 

Date:              February 28, 2012
Case:             12-6971
Authority:       SHERIFF DALE SCHMIDT

Deputies Taser Uncontrollable Man

On Monday, February 27th, at 9:08 am, Deputies responded to the Acute Care Services office in the Human Services Section of the County Public Agency Center on E. Washington St. in West Bend.

ACS workers advised that an 18 year old man was there, and due to his mental state needed to be taken into custody for an Emergency Detention.  Deputies had responded to the man’s residence the previous evening, for him creating a disturbance causing family members to fear for their physical safety.  The man was refusing to take necessary medication.  Deputies eventually transported the man to his father for care.

Upon the first Deputy’s arrival at ACS, the man was in a meeting room with his father and two Mental Health Specialists.  The man was screaming, swearing and causing a disturbance, but not physically threatening anyone.  The Deputy made a strategic decision to wait for more Deputies before making contact with the man.  As another Deputy and a Lieutenant arrived, the man exited the room stating that he was leaving.  Deputies informed the man he could not leave and requested that he be seated in the conference room.  The man refused and began to walk past the Deputies who then attempted to physically restrain and handcuff him.  He was told repeatedly that he was under arrest and to not resist.  The man struggled to escape at which point, one Deputy warned him to stop resisting or he would be tased.  The man continued to resist and the Deputy deployed the Taser.  The probes did not connect and the man pulled away from the other Deputies, retreating into another conference room where he took a fighting stance.  Deputies ordered him to lie on the floor and not resist.  When he did not comply, a second Taser was deployed which subdued the man.  He was quickly handcuffed.  No one was injured.

The man was later transported to a mental health facility, and charges of Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest were referred to the District Attorney’s Office.

The man is believed to be suffering from the effects of a past brain injury.  Over the past year, Deputies have handled nine calls with the man either being disorderly or in danger of harming himself.  Those incidents were resolved through conversation with the family and ACS mental health specialists. 

 

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Date:            February 26, 2012
Case:           2012-6870
Authority:    Lt. John Buck

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a house fire in the Town of Germantown at 11:36 A.M. Sunday morning. The homeowner smelled smoke and was able to evacuate the residence and notify the Sheriff’s Office. Arriving Deputies located a small fire at the top of a stairway and were able to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers. The Richfield Fire Department responded to the fire call and was able to ensure that the fire was out. The cause of the fire appears to be from a small metal lamp containing a candle that the homeowner had lit earlier in the morning. The lamp had been on a table at the top of the stairway. Damage was estimated at approximately $100,000.00 and was mostly due to smoke. There were no injuries reported.

Homeowners:
Michael and Sharon Thelen
W204 N14013 Fond du Lac Ave.

 

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Date:               February 17, 2012              
Case:              Investigation             
Authority:      Sheriff Dale K. Schmidt

The Sheriff’s Office has completed its investigation into the death of Nicholas Kraby while he was an inmate in the County Jail.  Mr. Kraby died on September 30th, 2011.

The investigation revealed that Mr. Kraby died of a heroin overdose that he injected by needle while in the Huber Dorm area of the Jail.  It was determined that Mr. Kraby himself brought the heroin along with Xanax pills into the Jail, secreted in his buttocks or rectum.

When Mr. Kraby injected the heroin, he almost immediately passed out.  Other inmates carried him to his bunk where he laid for several hours, appearing to be asleep.  Only after he began to vomit did an inmate finally notify Jail staff that Mr. Kraby was having a medical emergency.

No discipline action was warranted against any Jail staff in this matter as standard policies and procedure were followed.

One charge of Aiding a Felon has been requested with the District Attorney’s Office on another inmate, who hid evidence of the drug use.  An investigation into the source of Mr. Kraby’s heroin remains open.

Investigative reports are available through the records request process.

 

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Date:               February 15, 2012              
Case:              Community Notification
Authority:      Sheriff Dale K. Schmidt

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the following information pursuant to WI Statute 301.46(2m) which authorizes law enforcement agencies to inform the public of a sex offender’s release when, in the discretion of the agency, the release of information will enhance public safety, awareness and protection. The individual who appears on this notification has been convicted of a sex offense. Further, his criminal history places him in a classification level which reflects the potential to re-offend.

Christian M. Petak ,41, will be released from prison on February 19, 2012.  After his release he will reside at the Washington County Jail while he attempts to locate a residence and employment.  Petak was convicted of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child, 948.02(2) and 2 counts of 3rd Degree Sexual Assault, 940.225(3) on 08/30/1999.  Petak will be on Community Supervision (probation) until February 19, 2027 and will be monitored closely by WI-DOC Division of Community Corrections agents. While residing in the Washington County Jail he will be chaperoned at all times when leaving the jail to seek a residence and employment.  Petak will have numerous rules and restrictions to follow including wearing a live tracking GPS unit.

This sex offender has served the prison sentence imposed on him by the courts. He is NOT wanted by law enforcement at this time. This notification is not intended to increase fear, but rather it is our belief that an informed public is a safer public.

Sex offenders have always lived in our communities; but it was not until the Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Law was enacted that law enforcement was able to share this information with the community.  More information can be located at : http://offender.doc.state.wi.us/public/proginfo/communitynotification.jsp

Questions:  Probation/Parole Agent Rosemarie Baranek at 262-335-5676,
                   Sex Offender Registration Specialist Erich Wuerslin at 414-773-4643 or
                   Sgt. Jason Guslick at 262-335-4879.

CHRISTIAN M. PETAK

 

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Date:                 February 10, 2012
Incident:           Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident (case #12-5025) 
Authority:         Lt. Robert Stuesser

On Friday February 10, 2012 Washington County suffered its first traffic fatality of the year.  At 2:12 p.m. the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a two vehicle accident in the area of USH 41/45 (southbound) approximately .5 miles north of STH 167/Holy Hill Rd. in the Village of Richfield, and subsequently dispatched Deputies to the scene.  The first Deputy arrived at 2:13 p.m. and located two severely damaged vehicles in the far left lane of travel.  He also observed a 51 year old Appleton woman lying in the roadway, and a 26 year old Milwaukee woman still trapped inside her vehicle.   Richfield Fire/Rescue was subsequently summoned to the scene.

The Deputy, assisted by another motorist, immediately began performing rescue breathing and CPR on the Appleton woman.  She was transported via ambulance to Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Falls were she was later pronounced deceased.  After the Milwaukee woman was freed from her vehicle she was also transported to Community Memorial Hospital via ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

The preliminary investigation suggests that the Appleton woman had previously been southbound when she left the snow covered roadway, entered the median, and struck a barrier cable with the driver’s side of her vehicle.  After striking the cable, she was able to operate the vehicle out of the median and subsequently positioned it on the median shoulder of the roadway. 

Sometime after parking her car on the median shoulder, the Appleton woman exited her vehicle and positioned herself at the rear of her vehicle.  At this same time, the Milwaukee woman (who was southbound in the far left lane), attempted to move right and into the center lane of travel when she lost control of her vehicle on the snow covered roadway and slid into the Appleton woman and her vehicle.

Southbound USH 45 (at STH 145/CTH FD), and the far left lane of USH 41 in the area of the accident were closed for approximately 4 hours to facilitate rescue and investigative operations.  Officers from the Germantown Police Department assisted in this effort.   

At this time the accident remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Office Accident Reconstruction Unit. However, preliminary information suggests that alcohol was not a contributing factor.  There were no passengers in either vehicle.

 Decedent

Cheryl L. Mahloch (age 51)
Appleton, WI

Driver of Striking Vehicle

Amanda E. McCoy (age 26)
Milwaukee, WI

 

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Date:                 February 10, 2012
Incident:           Multiple Vehicle Crash
Authority:         Sgt. Jason Guslick

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a serious injury crash in the southbound lanes of US 41 south of the US 41/US 45 split. As a result of the crash and investigation US 45 southbound is closed and being diverted at the STH 145/CTH FD exit and US 41 has been reduced to 1 lane of traffic near the accident scene. The closures are expected for up to several hours and drivers should expect long delays. Drivers are encouraged to take alternate routes and avoid the crash scene.

 

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Date:                 February 4, 2012
Incident:           12-4200
Authority:         Lt. Paul Buth

In the early morning hours of Saturday February 4^th, 2012, the Washington County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Group (Drug Unit) arrested two men for the charge of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver. The men were arrested in the Village of Germantown with the assistance of the Washington County K-9 and two other patrol Deputies. The investigation had previously also been assisted by a U.S. Postal Inspector.

A total of 11 pounds of high grade marijuana were seized in this investigation, most of it from a rental car the men were driving from California to Hartford.

Charges will be requested against the two men. They are a 47 year old California man, and a 29 year old City of Hartford man.

The marijuana was expected to sell for approximately $4000/ pound, giving a street value of approximately $40,000.

 

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