5/18/22 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
18 May 2022 News
Oshkosh Sex Offender Arrested For Trying To Arrange Sex With Teen
Federal and local authorities Monday arrested a 60-year-old Oshkosh sex offender for allegedly trying to meet a 13-year-old Oshkosh girl for sex. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Kevin Mueller (pictured) was arrested through Operation Kick Boxer. According to the criminal complaint earlier this month he was exchanging instant messages with who he believed to be the parent of a 13-year-old Oshkosh girl. He repeatedly expressed an interest in having sex with the girl and sent pornographic photos of himself. He was arrested at a pre-arranged meeting spot in Winnebago County. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office is part of Operation Kick Boxer. Mueller was convicted of first degree sexual assault in Milwaukee County in 1989.
Ripon Man Facing Charges For Allegedly Firing Off Gun While Intoxicated
A 26-year-old Ripon man is facing charges for firing a handgun inside a city residence while other people and two small children were present. No one was injured by gunfire during the incident last Friday afternoon in the 200 block of West Lane Street in Ripon. According to the criminal complaint Jesus Lozoya told police he was feeling depressed and thought it would be safer to unload the three guns he had when one misfired twice. However a witness who was at the residence told police Lozoya had been drinking and breaking things probably due to his divorce. While she was in the upstairs of the home she heard two gunshots. He told her he had been cleaning the guns when one went off. Four holes were found in a south wall of the residence. Police also found three guns and ammunition and also a marijuana pipe and THC products including vaping cartridges and THC wax. Police have referred second degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon; possession of a firearm while intoxicated; possession of THC and drug paraphernalia charges against him. Lozoya posted a $5,000 cash bond and has a preliminary hearing on July 14th.
Man Reported Missing In FDL Found Safe
A Silver Alert issued Monday for a 63-year-old man who went missing in Fond du Lac has been cancelled. James Holmes was found safe. The state’s Department of Justice gave the update early Tuesday afternoon. Holmes had been dropped off in the area of South Main and 12th Streets in Fond du Lac at 7 pm Sunday night and was reported missing the following day. His physical description and a photo were issued in the effort to locate him.
Beaver Dam Man Sentenced For Fifth OWI
A 52-year-old Beaver Dam man has been sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison and 5 years of extended supervision for his 5th operating while under the influence offense. Kevin Laufenberg was sentenced in Dodge County court Tuesday. The charge stemmed from a traffic stop for a vehicle with a defective headlamp on Spring Street in Beaver Dam last October 29th. Officers smelled the odor of alcohol coming from Laufenberg. His blood alcohol concentration was nearly 4 times (.301) the legal limit. His previous OWI convictions also occurred in Dodge County in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2001.
Spongy Moth Traps
Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will be setting more than 10,000 traps for spongy moth, formerly known as gypsy moth, in 47 counties from mid-May through early June. The department is requesting that property owners allow trappers access to place traps and not disturb the traps once in place. Data gathered from the traps provides an estimate of the state’s spongy moth population and is used to plan for next year’s spray treatment. Traps are small green boxes tied to tree branches. The trap contains the scent of a female spongy moth that is undetectable to other insects and is used to attract and catch adult male spongy moths. Traps will be removed in August.
Progress Being Made On Ripon Senior Center
Ripon Senior Activity Center Director Noreen Johnson says you can really notice the progress now at the future site of the Grace and Lloyd Mitchell Senior Activity Center and Trailhead in Murray Park. She says at this point construction is focused on the infrastructure work for water and sewer and electrical so quite a bit of ground and road has been excavated as that infrastructure goes in. Each week Johnson takes pictures of the progress and posts them on the Center’s Facebook page, but this past week Public Works Director Mike Ehrenberg went her one better and filmed some aerial shots with a drone that have been posted on both the Center’s and the City’s Facebook pages. She says the site will be larger than the space they have been using in the lower level of the City Hall. The project is expected to be completed in the fall.
RASD Practice Field Update
Ripon Schools Superintendent Mary Whitrock says they plan on doing the most with a practice field they are putting in on the north side of Middle School/High School. A home was purchased on Sullivan Street this winter and demolished. Whitrock says they are in talks with the City of Ripon about vacating a portion of Sullivan so they can expand the field and make it bigger. She says they are waiting for the field to settle so they can resurface it because they had to fill in the basements of the homes that they purchased for the field. She says the purchase of new soccer goals for Ingalls Field will allow them to use the old ones at the new practice field. Their Education Foundation will also be chipping in so they can put in a basketball court and hoops on one end that the public will be able to use as well. She says the new practice field will replace the one they had on the south side of the schools that they used to expand parking.
Congressional Redistricting
Congressman Glenn Grothman says if he’s reelected the 6th Congressional District he currently represents will look a little bit different. He says each 10 years we go through redistricting to accommodate the census and growth in our population. He says because there wasn’t as much population growth in the 6th Congressional District the district will be gaining some land area. So he will lose a couple of municipalities, but gain a few too. He’s losing River Hills in Milwaukee County and the City of Horicon in Dodge County, but is gaining New Holstein in Calumet County and Winneconne in Winnebago County. Redistricting took longer this time because COVID-19 slowed downed the census and there were legal battles over redistricting in Wisconsin.
SSM Health Barlow Park Clean Up
SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital Mission Action Team members, employees, and family members enjoyed the beautiful weather Saturday while being good stewards of our natural resources during a spring cleanup at Barlow Park in Ripon. The cleanup lasted about 90 minutes, and participants were able to pick up litter and sticks, and rake pine needles and leaves off the basketball courts. DeAnn Thurmer who is president of both Ripon Community Hospital and Waupun Memorial Hospital says, “By committing to making our campuses and our communities greener, we are contributing to the well-being of our patients, employees, and all those we serve.” SSM Health officials thank those who helped in the effort last Saturday.
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