News 09.15.16
15 September 2016 News
Fond du lac Judge Gary Sharpe is stepping down from the Dennis Brantner murder case after making comments about the case following a mistrial earlier this summer. At a hearing Tuesday afternoon the judge announced his decision to recuse himself from the case, stating a reasonable person could question the court’s impartiality. Judge Sharpe admitted that after declaring a mistrial earlier this summer he made comments to the jury in the jury room about the case. Sharpe said those comments were premature, and if he could it over, he would have not made the comments at all. Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney says if a new judge does not grant a defense motion to dismiss the case, the state plans to ask for a retrial. Brantner is charged with first degree murder for the 1990 death of Berit Beck. The District Court administrator will appoint a new judge in the case and a motion hearing will be rescheduled.
-30-
A 21-year-old Merrill man charged in a stabbing in Green Lake County is free after posting a $1,000 cash bond. Evan Delonay was charged this week with 2nd degree reckless injury. He is accused of stabbing 20-year-old Ian Hinderman in the face and arm during an altercation at a residence on Bridge Street in Markesan. Hinderman was transported to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah following the incident. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 27th. The incident happened September 6th around 7:45 am.
-30-
Consumer protection officials have issued a warning about card skimmers that have shown up at gas pumps across Wisconsin. Thieves that have attached the skimmers at the pumps are stealing credit or debit card information. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says state investigators found at least 15 skimmers during inspections of gas pumps over the past five weeks. The devices were found at stations in Edgerton, Janesville, Milton, Random Lake, Camp Douglas, Madison, Lake Delton, Franklin, Brookfield, Appleton and Oshkosh. The illicit skimmers operate two ways. An external skimmer is placed over the real card reader. An internal skimmer has a recording device and cable that connects with the main board. The FBI and IRS are also conducting skimming investigations at gas stations, but haven’t announced any results.
-30-
New testimony reveals that inmates at Wisconsin’s troubled juvenile prison swarmed the corrections secretary during a 2015 visit to complain that they were being harmed by staff. The testimony on Tuesday came during an employment hearing into the former secretary’s termination. After resigning in February, Ed Wall returned to a job in the Department of Justice, but was later fired earlier by Attorney General Brad Schimel following concerns he was trying to undermine the state’s open records law. Wall’s attorney, Lester Pines, said Wall was alarmed to learn about the inmates’ accusations at Lincoln Hills School for Boys eight months after the DOJ began an investigation into possible abuse. The Department of Corrections says the inmates were told to write to Wall about their concerns.
-30-
A new bat species is discovered in Wisconsin for the first time in more than 60 years. Department of Natural Resources officials say researchers discovered the new species, known as an evening bat, living in the hollow of trees in Avon Bottoms State Natural Area in Rock County. The researchers who discovered the bats were studying summer habitats of other species that are vulnerable to white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease that has killed millions of bats across the country. Department officials say the discovery is the first new bat species found in the state since 1954. The department’s natural heritage conservation species section chief, Owen Boyle, says a new discovery for mammals is significant because they are already highly studied.
-30-
Resale ticket prices for the Minnesota Vikings game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium have hit new highs, prompting a warning from the home team about scammers. Sellers say the average price for the game Sunday night is $447, surpassed only by the resale price of tickets to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game at Target Field in 2014. The new stadium has been sold out for the entire season. Only three outlets are authorized to resell Vikings’ tickets — the team’s ticket office, the NFL Ticket Exchange and Ticketmaster. Team spokesman Jeff Anderson says that with any other source, you’re purchasing at your own risk. Only digital tickets and printed PDFs are accepted for games at the new stadium.
-30-
Share |