Hometown Broadcasting News Tuesday 5/5/20
5 May 2020 News
Ripon Man Charged With Endangering Safety
(Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s photo)
Bond was set at $5,000 cash Monday when a 44-year-old Ripon Man made his initial appearance in Fond du Lac County court on endangering safety charges. David Floeter is charged with 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety, obstructing an officer, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct. Charges stem from an incident in Ripon last Thursday. Floeter had been drinking and after arguing with the woman he lives with grabbed a pistol-style crossbow and serrated knife. According to the criminal complaint he had threatened to shoot himself in the head and had it pointed at his head when police arrived. Before they arrived he also allegedly shot an arrow into the ceiling of the apartment after pointing the crossbow at the woman. Police were able to use a taser on him after more than an hour of negotiating when the weight of the crossbow got to heavy and he took his finger off the trigger. The woman told them Floeter was suicidal after she told him he was not allowed back in the apartment if he started drinking. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Three Arrested Following Columbia County Armed Robbery
Three men in their twenties were arrested Sunday following the armed robbery of a convenience store in Columbia County’s Town of Arlington. One of the suspects entered the All-Stop Mobil, displayed a knife, and took cash out of the cash drawer of a register. No employees were injured during the incident. The suspect’s vehicle was later located in Dane County. Twenty-seven-year-old Lucas Hanks of Lodi was arrested for armed robbery, narcotics possession and a parole violation. Twenty-five-year-old Brandon Laroche of Sauk City and 26-year-old Austin Pace of Prairie du Sac were both arrested for being party to the crime of armed robbery.
Two Hurt In Separate Columbia County Accidents
Two people were injured following separate accidents that occurred within a minute of each Saturday night in Columbia County. Sheriff’s officials say 30-year-old Sara Tietz of Randolph was flown to the U-W Hospital in Madison after crashing into a telephone pole at the intersection of Krueger Road and State Highway 33 in the Town of Randolph. She was arrested for her second OWI offense. The second accident involved a motorcycle that locked up its brakes at the intersection of Richards Road and Highway 51 in the Town of Arlington. The operator was flown to the U-W Hospital in Madison and cited for failing to control the motorcycle.
Congressman Grothman Would Like To See Hospitals Reopen
Congressman Glenn Grothman would like to see the safe reopening of Wisconsin hospitals and medical facilities to elective surgeries and other non-essential procedures. He feels the projections as to how many beds would be needed for the COVID-19 outbreak were too high. Meanwhile the volume of patients in hospitals has led some to furloughs and lay-offs of employees. “A lot these hospitals relying on projections out of Washington weren’t doing elective surgeries. So things like even transplants, knee operations, hip operation, repairing of a valve in your heart. Those types of things were not getting done.” The Federal lawmaker from Glenbeulah says even at the peak of the virus, there were on average less than four patients per hospital.
Waupun Handling COVID 19 Response
Waupun’s Emergency Management Director feels the community’s initial response to restrictions placed on the city during the COVID-19 pandemic have been appropriate. B.J. DeMaa says everybody is handling it well so far. “From a Safer at Home standpoint we feel that the community has done well with it. Obviously now with the weather, this past weekend with weather as beautiful as it was we are hoping people are still smart because we are not out of this yet.” He says they are concerned about their businesses ability to reopen safely and about the long term health of those businesses. DeMaa says they want to do everything they can to avoid having to back track a month from now.
FDL County Reopens Hobbs Woods And Several Campgrounds
Fond du Lac County will be reopening a nature area in Fond du Lac and campgrounds at two county parks over the next several weeks. The Hobbs Woods are in Fond du Lac will reopen this Friday. Visitors are asked to follow Safer at Home guidelines and staying on existing trails, taking home with them what they may have carried in. Meanwhile the campgrounds at Columbia and Waupun County parks will reopen on Thursday, May 21st. Campers should follow Safer at Home guidelines. All other county parks and trails are open to the public.
International Firefighters Day Celebrated
Firefighters across the world were recognized Monday during International Firefighters Day. It was instituted after a proposal was emailed out across the globe on January 4th, 1999, due to the deaths of five firefighters, in tragic circumstances in a bushfire in Australia. Many of Wisconsin’s smaller fire departments rely on the help of volunteers. Waupun Fire Chief B.J. DeMaa says he’s grateful that they respond without hesitation on a moment’s notice. “You know we’ve got an amazing group here that at the drop of hat walks away from everything and I know that is the case for a lot of volunteer fire departments, but I think in the hustle and bustle of every day that simple message can get lost.”
Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month a time when professionals try to help the one in five who has mental health issues. But this year with COVID-19 there is even more concern with people facing worry, isolation, loneliness, and anxiety. Comprehensive Service Integration of Fond du Lac County will be highlighting five different “Tools to Thrive” this month on their website to help everyone bolster their mental health and increase their resiliency. Those practical tools include owning your feelings, finding the positive after loss, eliminating toxic influences, creating healthy routines, and supporting and connecting with others. They say it’s normal to feel stressed or anxious in times of uncertainty.
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