A 36 year old Appleton man, formerly of Merrill, was arrested last Monday afternoon after a deputy and Merrill Police officer responded to a request for a civil stand by. The man was looking for a police escort to return to his Town of Scott home to retrieve personal belongings but law enforcement had been searching for him since Oct. 13, 2013, when he was involved in a domestic incident in the City of Merrill and at the Town of Scott residence. The man was brought to the Lincoln County Jail, where he was booked on a Lincoln County charge of criminal damage to property and on charges from Merrill Police related to the domestic violence. He was able to post a cash bond and was released later that afternoon.
After a five-day effort, volunteers and friends of the Lincoln County Humane Society & Paws 2 Thinkm along with a Lincoln County deputy, took a lost dog into custody Monday in the Town of Bradley. On Thursday, Oct. 17, a Tomahawk resident reported that an English Setter with a tracking collar on it had been hanging out on the roadway in the area of State Rd 86 and Zenith Tower Rd. The responding deputy found that the dog had a tracking collar on it commonly used by bird hunters, but the collar was set to constantly emit a loud piercing sound to indicate where the dog was located. The collar was so loud when the dog would bed down at night, a resident thought their smoke detector was sounding and a set of horses were spooked out of their fence another night. The volunteers used numerous methods over the course of the five days to take the dog into custody, including putting out food laced with a sedative but the dog would just continue to run, they surmised most likely because of the constant beeping collar which beeped every four seconds. Deputies provided assistance as they were able as the dog continuously came back to State Rd 86 and was often darting in between cars on the highway. As the search went on, the progress was tracked via social media and on WJJQ radio. On Monday afternoon as a deputy was parked on the road, the dog ran up to his squad car and was captured near where it always seemed to be drawn back to – State Rd 86 and Zenith Tower Rd. The dog was brought to a Tomahawk veterinarian, who found tags indicating the dog belonged to a resident of the state of Tennessee. When contacted, the man reported they were hunting in the area the previous Wednesday when his dog Max got lost. They spent the next day looking for it in the area where it was lost – some 15 miles from where it was eventually found – but were not able to find it and went back to Tennessee asking the hotel desk clerk to call if she heard anything about a dog being found. The owner confirmed the dog was a valuable family pet and he drove up this weekend to retrieve his dog. He was cited for allowing an animal to run at large. The vet reported the dog was healthy but had numerous bear ticks that had to be removed from it, it is not known if the dog’s hearing was affected by the collar.
Scam callers continue to try and steal money from county residents. On Monday morning, a resident of the Town of Corning took a call from a female who at first tried to be her granddaughter then her daughter in law claiming she needed money to get out of a Mexican jail. The intended victim noted several people were involved in the call, including a man pretending to be a police officer in Mexico. The story was the female went to Mexico to attend the funeral of a friend who recently moved there and was arrested when she caught a ride with a new friend and he had drugs in the car. On Tuesday, a resident of the Town of Scott had the same call except her daughter was in Canada attending the funeral of a friend when drugs turned up in the vehicle. Both victims noted the callers are very good actors and at first they believed the story before they were able to trip up the scammers by asking questions. They also stated that the female who pretended to be in trouble begged over and over again that they not tell anyone about the situation. The reason they don’t want the target to tell anyone is the chances are someone not emotionally involved will spot the scam. If you are contacted by a family member of friend reporting they are in trouble and need help such as this, call your local law enforcement agency.
Two other attempts at scams were reported this past week as well. A resident of the Town of Corning reported selling a jacket on Craig’s List and the buyer sent a check for $800 more than the purchase price with the instructions she should cash the check and send him back the extra money. The man kept calling her cell phone asking for the money to be sent, prompting the woman to become suspicious and contact law enforcement. The man called again when the deputy was there taking the report and he spoke to him and told him he knew it was a scam and the check would be destroyed. On Thursday, a Town of Pine River woman reported while on Craig’s List looking for a job she met a man from Milwaukee who asked if she wished to be his personal assistant. The man sent her a check and instructed her to run errands using the money he sent and then return the rest to him. When the woman got the check, she realized it was a scam but the man kept calling and harassing her for his money. A deputy called and emailed the suspect and informed him law enforcement was now involved in the case.
A 32 year old Tomahawk man was brought to the Lincoln County Jail early Tuesday morning after deputies responded to a disturbance in the Town of Bradley. The owner of a tavern phoned the Sheriff’s Office at 2:30 a.m. and reported his bartender was unable to leave the bar because a patron was outside refusing to leave, claiming he had left his cell phone inside. When the deputies arrived, they were unable to find the man’s cell phone and he accepted their offer for a safe ride home. Right after the man got in the back of the squad, he punched the car window and head-butted it. The deputy explained to the man if he wanted a ride he had to behave, something the man agreed to do. As they were going through the City of Tomahawk the man began crying and repeatedly striking the windows in the squad car. The deputy stopped the squad and ordered the man out, something he refused to do. When they tried to remove him from the back seat, he physically resisted their efforts which led to a taser being used. The man was handcuffed and returned to the back seat, this time charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The suspect was held for a bond hearing on Tuesday and was later released after posting a $100 cash bond that was ordered by a Lincoln County Judge.
A 21 year old Merrill man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after the deputy assigned to security at the Lincoln County Court House took a wanted man into custody. The subject appeared in court after being summonsed on a drug charge. A check showed that he was wanted by the Marathon County Sheriff for three counts of theft. The suspect was brought to the Lincoln County Jail where he was able to post a cash bond and be released.
A 34 year old Tomahawk woman was arrested Wednesday evening after deputies and a Tomahawk Police officer responded to a residence in the Town of King for a disturbance. Just after 9 p.m., a cell 911 call reported the incident on Red Pine Rd. Deputies learned that the suspect had come home intoxicated and engaged in a verbal and then a physical altercation over issues involving a child. She was brought to the Lincoln County Jail where she was booked on a disorderly conduct charge. The suspect was released after posting a cash bond.
On Thursday afternoon, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office drug unit assisted with the execution of a search warrant in the Township of Bradley, Lincoln County. As a result, four people were taken into custody. Three of those involved had bond hearings on Monday in Lincoln County Court.
An elderly Fox Valley man is back with his family after deputies stopped a wrong way driver Saturday night. The incident began just after 7 p.m. when an establishment in the Town of Merrill phoned the Sheriff’s Office and expressed concern after a man came in looking for directions to Little Chute. The bartender stated the man seemed very confused and they were concerned for his welfare. A few minutes later, cell callers reported a vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes of US Hwy 51. A deputy found a vehicle matching the wrong way driver and the confused man traveling north in the northbound lanes near Irma and stopped it. The man admitted he was the vehicle traveling the wrong way and was trying to make it back to Little Chute. When a call was placed, the man’s caregiver told deputies the man was being treated for dementia and his driver’s license restricted to only allow him to drive in Little Chute. Deputies cited the man for driving the wrong way on the highway and took him to a hotel at Tomahawk, where he spent the night before his family picked him up on Sunday morning.
Tomahawk firefighters and a deputy responded to a reported structure fire on Sunday afternoon in the Town of Bradley. Just before 3 p.m., a resident in the 10,000 block of County Rd A reported heavy smoke coming out of their oven. When a deputy arrived on the scene, he was told by the homeowner that the home was just purchased on Monday and they were using the stove when it caught on fire. The fire was put out using a fire extinguisher the home owner had on hand before firefighters arrived on the scene.
This Thursday is trick or treating in Merrill and Gleason and Sheriff Jaeger is reminding motorists to be ever watchful for children who will be out and about. Fran the Sheriff’s secretary has treats for the kids. Children in costume can stop by the Sheriff’s Office using the new south entrance up until 6 p.m. Thursday and get a free treat bag and a treat to go in it.
Ten people reported striking deer this past week, more than double last week’s total. A turkey was also struck. On Wednesday a semi struck the bird while traveling south on US Hwy 51 near County Rd H, causing the bird to come through the windshield. The semi had to be towed from the scene, but there were no injuries.