Saturday, May 18, 2013
The National Transportation Safety Board wants another lowering of the blood-alcohol standard for drunk driving. It stands at .08; the NTSB wants it at .05.
The National Transportation Safety Board wants the blood-alcohol threshold for drunk driving to be lowered to .05 from .08. Wisconsin followed the rest of the country from a .10 to .08 standard in 2003, under the threat of losing federal highway funds. The state had almost 29,000 DUI arrests in 2011, almost 10,000 fewer than in 2000 but still the sixth-highest per-capita amount in the country. And police regularly arrest people for driving with concentrations two and three times the current legal limit, and/or for multiple convictions. Will a lower limit make Wisconsin citizens safer in any way? Or is it simply an unnecessary government intrusion? Vote in our poll and comment below. Related polls:
Thursday, May 16, 2013
A Caledonia detective conducting an investigation on an unrelated case happens to find a sex offender living close to two schools. Police Chief Toby Schey said the find exposes a problem with the state's sex offender registry program.
If a detective with the Caledonia Police Department hadn't inadvertently found Peter T. Baumeister — a registered sex offender — living near two schools in the Kremer subdivision, he probably would still be living there. Caledonia Police Chief Toby Schey said police would have never known about the man if not for the work done by the detective, but this case highlights a communications gap between the state's sex offender registry system and the department. Baumeister, 37, of Caledonia, is a sex offender who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in Texas. He had been living in a residence in the 1500 block of Ellis Avenue, in the Kremer subdivision, since February. He pleaded no contest to the charge in 2004 and served six …
Two women accused of filming and encouraging a fight between toddlers at a local daycare were in court Thursday.
Two women charged with child abuse for filming and encouraging a fight at the daycare where they worked plead not guilty Thursday. Jakitta Hollins, 22, of Caledonia, and Krystina Woods, 23, of Racine, each face a single felony count of child abuse/failure to prevent bodily harm. They were charged on May 3 and appeared in court Thursday for their preliminary hearing. Both defendants waived their hearings, according to court records, and entered pleas of not guilty. Racine police officers were called to Bundle of Blessings Kid Kare, 2333 Northwestern Ave., on April 26 by the daycare director for reports of child abuse. The director told investigators that a video was on social media of three children beating up another child. The ages of the…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Mount Pleasant police are confirming the driver of the car struck by an Amtrak train drove down the tracks, forcing the collision that killed him.
**Updated 8:03 p.m. A 29-year-old Franksville man who was killed Tuesday afternoon when the car he was driving was struck by an Amtrak passenger train caused the accident that took his life, according to Mount Pleasant police. "According to our preliminary investigation, a train was traveling northbound, and the car was traveling southbound in between the two tracks," MPPD Chief Tim Zarzecki said. "The train tried to stop ... unfortunately they still collided, and that crash resulted in the death of the lone occupant of the vehicle." Authorities have not released the identity of the victim, but family members told Patch it was Ben Glaeser. They said he was suffering from depression and other mental illnesses, and likely parked his car on …
Police and rescue were called to the scene of a train vs. car accident Tuesday afternoon in Franksville.
Mount Pleasant Police Chief Tim Zarzecki Tuesday confirmed that Ben Glaeser, 29, of Franksville committed suicide by driving his car into an oncoming Amtrak train. "The car was traveling southbound in between the two tracks ... and the train tried to stop, tried to slow down ... unfortunately they still collided," he said.
Neighbors called police after a long-time resident reportedly exposed himself to them on Mother's Day.
A 77-year-old man is facing two misdemeanor charges after police say he exposed himself to neighbors on Mother's Day. Melvin Brown, of Caledonia, was charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court with one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and one misdemeanor count of lewd and lascivious behavior. Neighbors called police Sunday because a woman said Brown exposed himself to her twice while she was out mowing her grass, according to a story in The Journal Times. Apparently this isn't the first time, either, the JT reports. This same neighbor told police that Brown has shown himself to her before, and Caledonia police say they found municipal citations for similar incidents from 2000 and 2006.
Caledonia Police Chief Toby Schey: "When people stop and recognize the job we do with a simple ‘thank you,’ it helps to rationalize an irrational world.”
With this week being Police Week, a number of community members have offered their heartfelt thanks to the men and women in blue this week. The week includes area law enforcement officials honoring those who were disabled or died in the line of duty. More than 19,000 names of fallen law enforcement officers are etched into the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — and more are added every year. So why is Police Week important? “Police officers are hired to protect the public,” said Caledonia Police Chief Toby Schey. “It’s important that the public realize the work we do to serve them. Sometimes we put our lives on the line and someone who goes into law enforcement understands that we may have to sacrifice our lives to …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Marcus Johnson, the boyfriend of the victim's mom, is accused of abusing a 3-year-old boy so grievously that the youngster died.
Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete in court Monday described the injuries that led to Hunter Wise's death as "torture." Marcus Johnson, 26, was charged in Racine County Circuit Court with first-degree intentional homicide for causing the death of 3-year-old Hunter Wise on Friday. Johnson, of Mount Pleasant, appeared via closed circuit TV from the Racine County Jail with defense attorney Katie Gutowski. If convicted, Johnson could face life in prison, plus six years for having faced felony charges at least once before. An autopsy conducted by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner lists the cause of death as "shock due to significant trauma." The injuries found on the little boy are extensive, and Chiapete accused Johnson of …
Hunter Wise was just three years old when his mother's boyfriend allegedly beat him, then burned him so severely he died from his injuries.
Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete described as "torture" a list of injuries he says Marcus Johnson inflicted on 3-year-old Hunter Wise. Johnson is charged with 1st degree homicide for the death of the little boy Friday and is being held in the Racine County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond.
An amorous couple needed police assistance to deal with a “wardrobe malfunction.” Welcome to OMG PD.
Patch is highlighting some of the more unusual crime news from throughout southeastern Wisconsin in our feature, "OMG PD." Handcuffs and a third person kind of killed the mood here. "These birds don’t look angry, dad.” “Times are tough,” but Porterhouse steaks aren’t. This case of vandalism smells fishy. Me Tarzan. You suspicious. The above items are from local police reports and criminal complaints. In all incidents where an arrest occurred, a charge is merely an accusation and not evidence of guilt. The arrested person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Fedup
11:06 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013
These appear to be baby steps towards prohibition if you want to be a conspiracy theorist, All this will do is make bigger headlines of how many times over the limit the offender is. In reality, there is a point where the public should say "I have had enough and I don't cae what the limit is." How much will we give in? And do we really have to? WE are the people that employ these law makers. I … more ›