News 09.07.16
7 September 2016 News
The name of a 28-year-old Menasha woman who stole a truck and took police plus other officials on a 22-mile, high speed chase is identified. The Wisconsin State Patrol says Neenah Police got a report around 4pm Sunday afternoon that a woman, identified as Alecia J. Swick, had stolen a white GMC pickup truck from a campground. Officials say minutes later, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department got a report that the same make and model truck had just sideswiped another truck on I-41 near Highway 26 and continued south. A chase ensued with State troopers, who tried to stop Swick on three separate occasions by using tire deflation devices. The chase continued into Dodge County reaching speed up to 100 miles per hour. As police from more departments joined the chase, a tire on the vehicle Swick was driving disintegrated, causing her to eventually crash into a highway sign, spin across the southbound lanes and come to rest in the median. Swick was med-flighted to Oconomowoc hospital with non-life threatening injures. The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating both crashes, and say they are pursuing fleeing charges. Neenah Police are investigating the vehicle theft. Swick is also the subject of two warrants from two counties.
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A hearing for a man charged in the 1990 death of Berit Beck is postponed. Dennis Brantner was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for a hearing to determine the next step in his case, but that has been pushed back until next week. Brantner is charged with 1st Degree Murder. In June, a jury was unable to reach a verdict at trial, resulting in a mistrial. Following the trial, Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said that he will retry Brantner. Brantner’s attorney Craig Powell filed a motion asking the judge to acquit Brantner and block a possible second trial. He argued the state’s evidence against Brantner is purely circumstantial and does not support a conviction. Powell argues a second trial would violate Brantner’s constitutional protection from double jeopardy.
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It’s back to school for a Wisconsin teacher and a student who share a close bond — they are kidney friends forever. Oakfield Elementary teacher Jodi Schmidt and second-grader Natasha Fuller were the stars of a raucous pep rally on the first day of school Thursday. Natasha needed a kidney transplant. So in May, Schmidt donated a kidney to her. Natasha says Schmidt is a wonderful teacher and “takes care of a lot of kids.” The teacher says the decision was not difficult. She says she believes “that it was meant to be.” Kidney failure had kept Natasha from running, jumping and doing other things most children take for granted.
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Staff logs from Wisconsin’s troubled youth prison show nearly 500 incidents of aggression, fighting and violence in the four months preceding a December raid at the facility in northern Wisconsin. The logs were provided to the Wisconsin State Journal by the Department of Corrections under the state’s open records law. The reports show conditions at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and the Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma just before federal and state law enforcement officials arrived to investigate allegations of abuse by staff members. The documents show altercations and confrontations that resulted in 32 injuries to inmates and seven injured staff between July and December of 2015. Troy Bauch was the union representative at the time and says the prison was getting more violent and out of control.
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Health officials say a dead crow in southern Wisconsin has tested positive for the West Nile virus. The crow was found in Rock County. The county public health department says it’s the first bird found infected in the county since surveillance for the mosquito-transmitted virus began in May. Health officer Marie-Noel Sandoval says the discovery means county residents need to take more precautions to prevent mosquito bites. Those include using mosquito repellent, disposing of tin cans, discarded tires and other items that hold water, and changing the water in birdbaths and pet dishes. Mosquitoes get the virus by feeding on dead birds and can spread to humans through bites. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache, rash and fatigue.
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The Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Medical Center says an email breach exposed information about 21 veterans in the center’s care. The center said in a news release and a letter to the veterans that someone hacked into a Wisconsin Medical College employee’s email and obtained the veterans’ health and personal information. The center shares information with the medical college as an academic affiliate. The letter said the breach was caused by the employee’s improper account management. The employee’s management team was alerted so they could take what the letter called “appropriate personnel action.” The news release said none of the veterans have reported any suspicious activity stemming from the breach.
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