A 29-year-old Merrill man was taken into custody early Thursday morning after a traffic stop in the City of Merrill. Just before 7 a.m., the Sheriff’s Chief Deputy was traveling west on State Rd. 64 in the Town of Pine River when a vehicle passed him at a high rate of speed in a no passing zone. When the Chief Deputy stopped the vehicle in a business parking lot at State Rd. 64 and Pine Ridge Ave., he detected the odor of an intoxicant. The driver performed field sobriety tests and as a result was taken into custody on a first offense charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was late released to a responsible party.
Deputies are seeking the public’s help in trying to locate a hit and run driver that caused damage to the County Rd. E bridge in the Town of Rock Falls. The Lincoln County Highway Department found the damage on Thursday morning and reported it. According to the deputy’s report, the crash probably took place late Thursday or early Friday morning, it appeared a Chevy pickup truck was traveling north on State Rd. 107 when it turned to cross the County Rd. E bridge that crosses the Wisconsin River. The truck appears to have lost control, fishtailed twice and then struck the north guardrail on the south side of the bridge, bounced off and struck the north guardrail. The vehicle most likely suffered considerable damage in the crash and an oil trail showed the truck first went south of County Rd. E then most likely turned around, crossed back over the bridge and went north on State Rd. 107. The investigating deputy noted the impact was so severe that concrete was displaced. Found at the scene was paint transfer; most likely a silver vehicle and a Chevy emblem along with a large amount of broken glass. If you have any information on this hit and run, you are asked to call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 715-536-6272 or 715-453-5747. Callers may also call Crime Stoppers at715-536-3726. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
Two Merrill residents are in the Lincoln County Jail after a traffic stop Saturday afternoon in the Town of Scott. At 3:30 p.m., a deputy was traveling east on Joe Snow Rd. when he had a vehicle pass him at a high rate of speed. The deputy noted the vehicle wasn’t displaying registration plates and the radar showed it was traveling at 86 MPH in the 55 MPH zone. When the deputy turned to stop the vehicle, it sped up to speeds of over 100 MPH and almost went off the road twice before the driver suddenly pulled into a driveway in the 6000 block of Joe Snow Rd. The 41-year-old driver exited the vehicle quickly causing the deputy to draw his tazer and hold her until backup arrived. The woman refused to perform field sobriety tests so she was taken into custody. A front seat passenger, a 43-year-old Merrill man, was taken into custody for violating the rules of his probation by drinking; he was brought to the Lincoln County Jail and held. A second passenger in the vehicle was determined to be 13 years old. The woman was brought to the Lincoln County Jail where she was booked on felony charges of fleeing an officer along with recklessly endangering safety and misdemeanor counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with a passenger under the age of 16 and resisting/obstructing an officer. She was also cited for speeding and non-registration of a motor vehicle. The woman had a bond hearing on Monday in Lincoln County Court.
A 47-year-old Wausau man was arrested Saturday evening on a probation hold. The man went to a hotel in the Town of Bradley and complained of injuries from falling and being outside for a long period time. Tomahawk EMS checked the man and transported him to Ministry Sacred Heart Hospital where he was medically cleared. The man was the taken into custody for violating terms of his probation by drinking. The man was brought to the Lincoln County Jail and held. An Oneida County Deputy assisted at the scene.
A DNR Ranger will take enforcement action against two Merrill men who burnt down their ice shanty Saturday night. A resident of Copper Rd. called 911 just after 9 p.m. to report an ice shanty fully engulfed in flames in Copper Bay. Units from both the Merrill Fire Department and the Wisconsin DNR responded and found the shanty was already burnt down. After a witness reported that a person walked away from the shanty just before the fire started and left in a dark truck the responding deputy checked the lake and found a truck matching that description stuck on the ice. The men admitted burning their own shanty as they were unable to remove it as it was stuck in ice. The DNR Ranger noted the men would be responsible for cleaning the area and would be cited for violating DNR burning rules.
Only three people reported striking deer this past week.