A summer storm kept the 911 center busy on Wednesday afternoon. A severe thunderstorm rolled through the Tomahawk area during the early evening hours prompting a warning from the National Weather Service. Several 911 calls were received reporting trees and wires down. Most of the damage reports occurred in the city of Tomahawk and no injuries were reported.
A 23 year old Minnesota man was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after a deputy responded to a 911 call of a reckless driver. The caller advised they were following a vehicle east on US Hwy 8 from Tripoli that was all over the roadway and making unsafe passes. When a deputy located the vehicle near County Rd Y he captured it on radar traveling at over 80 MPH coming right at the squad car in the westbound lane of traffic. When contact was made with Joseph Allen Peterson, he told the deputy he was traveling from his friend’s house in St. Croix Falls to his home in Forest Lake, MN. When the deputy pointed out to Peterson that he was over 100 miles away from where he thought he was, Peterson asked if the deputy could provide him with directions to get back to Minnesota. Instead the deputy took Peterson into custody on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while impaired. Peterson was brought to Ministry Good Samaritan Hospital where a Merrill Police Officer who is specially trained to recognize people under the influence of narcotics confirmed the impairment prior to a blood draw. Peterson was held overnight in the Lincoln County Jail until he was sober.
A 42 year old Merrill woman was arrested Thursday evening on a probation violation charge. Deputies went to an establishment in the Town of Merrill after receiving information that Kelli M. Dinges was drinking there in violation of her probation rules. When deputies arrived, they located Dinges in the bar and she provided a breath sample which confirmed she had been drinking. She was brought to the Lincoln County Jail and held.
A 45 year old Wausau man was taken into custody early Friday evening on a criminal traffic charge. Deputies were on the lookout after the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office reported a reckless driver heading north on County Rd W. Deputies located the vehicle as it crossed State Rd 64 and headed north on State Rd 17. After observing the vehicle’s driving behavior, a traffic stop was conducted at County Rd C. David J. Bittner displayed signs of being impaired and was asked to perform field sobriety tests. As a result of those tests he was taken into custody on a second offense charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was later released to a responsible party.
Two Gleason residents are in the Lincoln County Jail and two others are facing citations after the Rec. Deputy stopped two trucks he found mudding in Town of Harrison early Saturday evening. At 6:30 p.m., the Rec. Deputy was leaving Bruce Lake when he saw two trucks traveling on Beaver Trail Rd. He noted both trucks were covered in mud and both had equipment violations. He activated his emergency lights and the second truck being driven by 40 year old Troy Beranek stopped. When the deputy made contact with Beranek, he noted signs of impairment and asked Beranek to perform field sobriety tests. As a result of those tests, Beranek was taken into custody on a felony fifth offense charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. As a result of his fourth offense conviction, Beranek is required to have an ignition interlock device in his vehicle to measure his breath alcohol content. A passenger in Beranek’s vehicle, a 16 year old Gleason woman, admitted she was blowing in the IID in order for Beranek’s vehicle to operate. As the Rec. Deputy was speaking with Beranek, the first truck came back by the stop location and it was stopped as well. It was quickly learned that the two occupants had switched seats and the passenger was now the driver. 40 year old Cynthia J. Degner explained the original driver, an 18 year old Merrill man, did not have a driver’s license and they did not want him to get a citation. Noting the odor of intoxicants coming from Degner she too was asked to perform field sobriety tests and as a result was taken into custody on a misdemeanor fourth offense charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Both are being held in the Lincoln County Jail for bond hearings on Monday. Beranek and his 16 year old passenger will both face a criminal charge of tampering with an ignition interlock device, and the original driver of the second vehicle was cited for driving on a suspended license.
A 43 year old Merrill man was injured after an ATV crash in the Tomahawk area Saturday night. The man was brought to Ministry Sacred Heart Hospital in Tomahawk and dropped there by a witness who told staff that he was injured in an ATV crash on US Hwy 8. The victim told Deputies that he was a passenger on an ATV and fell off the back leading to his injuries but the medical staff told Deputies his injuries were not consistent with the story provided. Price, Oneida and Lincoln County Deputies searched Hwy 8 but were unable to determine a crash location or find the ATV that was reported to be left on the side of the road. Lincoln County Deputies cited the man for operating an ATV while intoxicated before he was transferred by ambulance to the trauma center at Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital for further treatment. As of Sunday evening he is in stable condition. 13011451
A 28 year old Waupun man; currently in the Lincoln County Jail may face additional charges after Corrections Officers responded to a report of a medical emergency Sunday morning. Corrections Officers entered the cell block after it was reported that the inmate had suffered a seizure. As they attended to him the inmate jumped up and struck a female Corrections Officer. As the inmate was being removed to a holding cell he again became combative and bit a second Corrections Officer. A third Corrections Officer was also injured while removing a tazer probe. All three Corrections Officers and the inmate were checked at Ministry Good Samaritan Health Center. Investigating Deputies are awaiting reports and will view video of the incident before making a report to the District Attorney; the inmate is being housed in Lincoln County due to overcrowding at the Portage County Jail. 13011470
Twelve people reported striking deer this past week on Lincoln County roadways, including a deputy. The deputy struck the animal on US Hwy 51 near County Rd H just after midnight on Thursday morning causing moderate damaged to the marked patrol unit.