KFIZ News Wednesday 11/2/16

Jury Trial Scheduled For Wild Rose Man

A 52-year-old Wild Rose man will be tried for allegedly defrauding Sadoff Iron and Metal of Fond du Lac. The 3-day jury trial for Daniel Christianson is scheduled in Fond du Lac County court next week. According to the criminal complaint the Fox Valley Metal semi-truck driver brought scrap vehicles filled with extra weight to Sadoff’s to sell. Sadoff’s owner told an investigator Sadoff’s was cheated out of over $100,000. Fifty-year-old Donald Krueger of Fond du Lac, who worked for Sadoff’s at the time, was involved in the scheme. He pled no contest to the same theft charge last December and was sentenced to five years of probation.

Elderly Waupun Man Puts Pickup In Rock River

An 81-year-old Waupun man put his pickup truck in the Rock River Saturday night. Deputy Police Chief Scott Louden says an officer responded to the scene at 9:41 that night. He says the officer found the man sitting in his truck in the river. The man was a little disoriented, but told the officer he was backing out of his driveway and that is the last thing he remembers. Water was up to the truck’s floorboards. There may have been a medical reason for the accident. Louden says the man’s driving status will be reviewed. He says because of the incident they want to make sure the man can drive and that a similar incident does not occur. He says it is fortunate no one was hurt because the man backed across a street that is very busy depending on the time of the day.

Former Fox Lake Prison Guard Charged

A former officer at Fox Lake Correctional suspected of sexually abusing an inmate made his initial appearance in Dodge County court this week. Forty-five-year-old Thomas Lukas of Beaver Dam is charged with one count of abuse of residents of penal facilities, a felony. He allegedly made sexual contact and racial comments to the same inmate on a number of occasions between 2011 and 2013.  Lukas was released on a $1,000 signature bond. He will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on December 15th.

West Bend Man Captured After Muddy Ordeal

A 39-year-old West Bend man got more than he bargained for when he fled on foot from a Washington County Sheriff’s deputy in a county park last weekend. The deputy spotted a vehicle in Sandy Knoll County Park that belongs to a man that was wanted on two active warrants. When the deputy got to the car the man’s wife said he had fled on foot. Later that evening deputies arrested the man after getting a call about a man yelling for help. The West Bend man had fallen and knocked himself unconscious, injuring his hip trying to get away from the deputy in the county park. He was in a marshy area and was covered head-to-toe in mud, with no shoes. After being treated he was taken to the County Jail.

Mercury And Brunswick Earnings Up In Third Quarter

Mercury Marine and its parent company, the Brunswick Corporation, both saw sales increases in the third quarter. According to the earnings report the Marine group, essentially Mercury Marine, saw a 6 percent increase in sales over the same quarter last year or total sales of $625 million. Operating earnings were nearly $110 million, an increase of $7 million. Meanwhile Brunswick saw a 10 percent sales increase and total sales of over $1 billion.

NFDL Hoping For Bonus Through Budget Restraint Program

North Fond du Lac Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says the village is hoping to qualify for the state’s Expenditure Restraint program as they continue to work on the 2017 Budget. He says how much they can increase their levy is based on net growth and the consumer price index. He says if they qualify for the program they get a bonus. He says that bonus can really help them out in meeting their budget needs if they qualify. He says that bonus could be up to $47,000. The village board will continue working on the budget next Monday. The public hearing and final adoption of the budget will be at the board’s meeting on Monday, November 21st.

Waupun Christian Students Visit State Supreme Court

Students from Central Wisconsin Christian High School in Waupun got the chance to visit the State Supreme Court in Madison Tuesday as part of the award winning Court with Class program. The students learned about the Supreme Court by observing an oral argument in the Supreme Court Hearing Room. They also met with a justice who explained the role of the Court.

Tickets Available For Empty Bowls

Tickets are on sale now for Leadership Fond du Lac Alumni’s annual “Empty Bowls” luncheon. Leadership Fond du Lac Director Lesley Manowske says each year the event raises about $10,000 for Fond du Lac food pantries. The event will be at the Holiday Inn on Wednesday, November 30th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will feature gourmet soups and other food items donated by area businesses. She says local restaurants are donating 20 gallons of soup, Agnesian HealthCare and Associated Bank donate money, and other businesses donate breads, desserts and milk. In addition students from local high schools make the bowls, which you get to keep. Tickets are $15 and you can get them through the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce. People requesting tables for six or more are asked to make reservations by calling the association at 921-9500.

Creepy Clown Fallout

There were not as many kids trick or treating as clowns this year, because of “creepy clowns” that have been reported around the state and around the country. Karen DeSanto has been a professional circus clown with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey as well as Circus World Museum in Baraboo. She says creepy clowns are not a part of her clown experience. She says parents can counter the “creepy clown” concept in a number of positive ways. She says take your kids to football games where they can see mascots, events at parks or the circus where they will see clowns or jugglers, but try not to imbed the idea that people are scary. She says professional clowns are losing jobs as part of the fallout from the creepy clown phenomenon. DeSanto is currently the executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Baraboo and Tomah.