News 03.02.17
2 March 2017 News
Three people are arrested following a high speed chase in a stolen vehicle in Fond du Lac and Dodge counties. The chase started late Tuesday morning when a State Patrol trooper attempted to stop a vehicle on Interstate 41 near Highway 67 for speeding. The driver fled northbound on 41 and exited on the 151 Bypass in Fond du Lac. The vehicle made a u-turn on the Bypass at Rienzi Road and headed back to 41 where the chase continued soutbound to Highway D, west to Highway 175 and then south to Highway 49. The chase ended when the vehicle entered a ditch on 49 in Brownsville. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody and transported to the Fond du lac County Jail. The chase involved speeds in excess of 100 miles an hour. No one was injured.
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The Fond du Lac County District Attorney says while the spread of methamphetamine is a concern it hasn’t hit Fond du lac County as hard as other parts of the state. Attorney general Brad Schimel testified at a legislative hearing last month that meth use and abuse is rampant across the state. Fond du Lac County DA Eric Toney says every county in Wisconsin has different issues. He says from talking to colleagues, the western side of the state is dealing with a much more signficant meth issue than this area. The FBI released a report in January that estimates between 2011 and 2015 methamphetamine use in Wisconsin likely expanded between 250 and 300 percent. When it comes to heroin, Toney says he does see a light at the end of the tunnel. Toney says the Opioid Coalition, Drug Free Communities and law enforcement have done a great job of raising awareness about the problem.
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The Wisconsin Supreme Court rules law enforcement officers can take blood samples from unconscious drivers without a warrant under certain circumstances. The court ruled Wednesday that an officer can be justified in taking a blood sample without a warrant when delaying would lead to the destruction of evidence, namely falling levels of alcohol in the drunken driver’s bloodstream. The ruling concerned the case of David Howes, who in 2013 crashed his motorcycle into a deer. Howes had previous drunken driving convictions and smelled of alcohol, was unconscious and unable to give consent when a Dane County sheriff’s deputy ordered hospital staff to take a blood sample from Howes two hours after the crash. Howes had argued the deputy violated his rights.
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The Department of Natural Resources board approves writing rules to remove an exotic dove from the state’s protected species list. The Eurasian collared dove has spread throughout North America since the 1970s. The bird is a protected species in Wisconsin by default because it’s not listed as anything else. Removing their protected status would allow hunters to kill them. The DNR board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a scope statement allowing the agency to write rules that would remove the bird’s protected status. The rules also would eliminate a requirement that people get DNR approval before killing monk parrots. DNR regulations list the bird as a prohibited invasive species. The birds aren’t present in Wisconsin but have established themselves in Chicago.
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