Law Enforcement

■ May 26 - An officer was dispatched to a Colby residence in reference to a trespassing complaint. The officer was told that an individual was refusing to leave. The individual had attacked the complainant over the weekend, but the attempt-to-locate (ATL) through Chippewa County had been cancelled that morning.

As the officer turned onto the street address, they saw a vehicle suspected to belong to the individual. The officer followed it to the intersection before being alerted that Chippewa County did not want the individual taken into custody, as they were just going to refer the charges to the district attorney’s office. The officer then went to the complainant’s residence.

The complainant told the officer that the individual had shown up with flowers and wanted to talk. The complainant said the individual had attacked them over the weekend and showed the officer the marks and bruising on their neck and chest. The complainant asked why the officer had not stopped the individual. The officer said Chippewa County did not want the individual taken into custody at that time. The complainant said a Clark County deputy was also looking for the individual. The officer checked for an ATL or charges through Clark County. They were advised that the ATL had been cancelled and everything would be forwarded to Chippewa County. The officer relayed the information to the complainant.

The individual called the police station and was put in contact with the officer. The individual asked why the officer had been following them. The officer told the individual that the complainant does not want them at the residence. The individual asked why. The officer said the complainant had called because they refused to leave after being told multiple times to do so. The individual said they just wanted to speak to the complainant. The officer told them that the complainant did not want to talk.

The officer warned the individual that they would be arrested for trespassing if they returned to the residence. The individual asked if they could speak to the complainant with an officer present. The officer told the individual no. The officer warned the individual again not to come back to the residence. The individual asked if they were supposed to be given a warning first before being arrested for trespassing. The officer advised that they had just been given the warning. The individual asked if they were supposed to be given a letter first. The officer told the individual that they did not have to, but they would mail one to the individual’s residence.

The individual said they had papers at the complainant’s house they needed. The complainant said they would box up all of the individual’s belongings. The individual asked if they could pick them up. The officer told them that they could not, but the items would be taken to the police station for them to pick up there. The individual said they would never step foot in a police department. The individual told the officer to throw the items in the garbage. The officer said the box would be at the police station.The officer once again made it clear that the individual would be arrested if they showed up at the complainant’s residence. The officer advised the complainant to reach out to Clark and Chippewa counties if they had questions regarding the incident that occurred over the weekend.

■ May 29 - An officer responded to a complaint from a teenager in Abbotsford who said they were made to watch their stepmother’s children all the time. The teen claimed their step-mom was doing drugs in their bedroom. The officer contacted the teen’s biological mother to get more information. The officer was told that the teenager was at their father’s house in Abbotsford. They were also advised that the step-mother no longer worked and was home during the day. The biological mother had reportedly contacted the father and step-mother regarding the complaint, as they were aware that Child Protective Services would be coming to investigate.

On June 2, the officer and a social worker went to the residence. The step-mother explained that they had already spoken with the teenager to learn what had been reported, and the teen was now staying with their biological mom. She said the teenager would not be returning due to the allegations.

The step-mother said she was already on a bail bond and took random drug tests for the county. She goes to a healthcare center for counseling, medication management and drug tests. She said she had not used drugs in a long time. When she did use drugs in the past, the children were never around, as she would make arrangements with a responsible person to take care of them.

The step-mother explained that her sisterin- law would help her with the children when needed. The step-mother recalled three occasions when she left the children with the teen. One occasion was when she went to the store, and the other two were so that she could go to counseling and drug tests.

There was not enough probable cause at the time for an arrest to be made.

■ May 30 - An officer received a complaint from a healthcare facility in Abbotsford. The complaint said a visitor brought what appeared to be marijuana into the facility and passed it to five residents. All five had reportedly smoked the marijuana.

The officer met with staff from the facility, who said a resident and their boyfriend brought marijuana into the facility for two other residents. The resident and their boyfriend were no longer at the facility, as they had gone to a local hotel. The officer met with the two residents who had been reportedly smoking marijuana. Both denied anyone bringing them marijuana or having smoked any recently.

The officer then went to the hotel to meet with the resident and their boyfriend. They denied having brought any marijuana to the facility. The officer was advised that the resident had a probation warrant for their arrest, on a previous charge of possession of THC. The boyfriend was also on probation for possession of methamphetamine. The resident was informed of their warrant and placed under arrest. They were transported to the Marathon County Jail.

The officer was later contacted by the administrator of the facility, who said the boyfriend was no longer allowed there. The officer informed the boyfriend that they would be cited for trespassing if they returned to the facility.

■ May 31 - An officer responded to a complaint of a vehicle crossing traffic lines of traffic while traveling on STH 13 through Colby. The officer was advised that the registered owner had a revoked license. The officer pulled the vehicle over and met with the driver. The officer confirmed the driver’s identification and driving status. While speaking with them, the officer observed the driver to have bloodshot/glassy eyes, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol.

The driver said they had been hanging out with their friends in Spencer and were now going to their house in Colby. The officer advised that they were not on the correct road to get to their address. The driver then said they were going to their uncle’s house. They pointed to a house directly to the left of where the traffic stop was taking place. The officer asked the driver if they had anything to drink. The driver said they had about three beers. The driver said they had started drinking around 9 p.m. and had stopped around 2 a.m. The officer asked for their proof of insurance. The driver said they did not have insurance. The driver’s records showed that they were revoked due to an alcohol- related violation. They had a 0.02 blood-alcohol restriction, an ignition interlock requirement, and had two prior convictions for operating while under the influence. The driver agreed to do a preliminary breath test, the result of which was 0.164. The driver was placed under arrest and issued citations for operating while under the influence (3rd), operating after revocation (due to alcohol), prohibited alcohol content (3rd), and no proof of insurance.

■ May 31 - An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle after it failed to stop at a stop sign in Abbotsford. The driver was on probation for possession with intent to deliver amphetamine. A K9 was deployed and alerted to the driver’s side passenger door. A search of the vehicle revealed a metal pipe with burnt residue inside. The driver admitted to using the pipe to smoke marijuana. The officer warned the driver for not stopping at the stop sign and said they would be mailed a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia if the pipe tested positive for marijuana.

The officer contacted the driver’s probation officer and advised them of the pipe found in the vehicle. The officer was informed that a probation hold would not be placed on the driver. The officer tested the residue inside of the pipe, and the results came back positive for marijuana. The driver was mailed a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ June 1 - An officer was made aware of a dog bite that occurred at an Abbotsford residence. The victim said they had been knocking on the door to their friend’s residence, and when they went inside, the dog bit them. They had injuries to their thigh, with multiple punctures and wounds. The officer met with the owner at their residence and provided them with the animal bite form.

■ June 2 - An individual spoke with an officer regarding an incident that had occurred at a store in Abbotsford. The individual said their spouse had gone to the store to get batteries and, when they returned home, they realized they had the wrong type. The individual tried to return the batteries to the store, but was told that they could not return them without a receipt. The individual said the employee they were speaking with accused them of stealing the batteries. The individual got upset and began yelling and cursing at the employee. The individual said they wanted the officer to be aware in case the store tried to accuse them of stealing.

About an hour later, the officer took a report of theft from the store. The officer met with the employee, who told a similar story. The manager said they were not accusing the individual of stealing the batteries. The manager remembered the spouse coming in and asking where their batteries were located.

The manager reviewed the sales receipt from the spouse and saw no batteries listed. The manager also checked the cameras and found that the spouse had picked out a package of batteries, placed them in the cart and left without paying for them. The manager said the individual had been very rude and they would like to bar them from the store. The manager also wanted the spouse spoken to and possibly prohibited from the store if they stole the batteries.

The officer contacted the spouse to inform them of the stolen batteries. The spouse said it was a mistake and did not realize they hadn’t paid for them. They denied intentionally taking the batteries without paying for them and said they would not have sent the individual back with the batteries if they had known that they were stolen. The spouse was very apologetic and said they would go back to the store and make it right. The officer said the store still wanted the individual banned. The store manager later confirmed that the spouse had come in and paid. The individual was later mailed a warning letter.

■ June 2 - A caller reported hearing someone calling for help from a Colby residence. The caller said they did not see smoke or flames, but the person calling for help said there was a fire and they were unable to get out of the house. An officer arrived at the residence and did not observe any smoke or flames. They met with the resident, who said they were unable to walk down the stairs to leave the residence. Central Fire arrived and the resident was assisted down the stairs. It took approximately five minutes for the resident to go down four stairs with the assistance of the officer and a firefighter. A makeshift wheelchair ramp at the residence was far too steep to be used safely.

The resident was transported to the hospital while Central Fire assessed the scene. The officer was advised that there was no fire, but the interior of the house was unsafe for residency. The officer went into the residence and observed it to be full of garbage on the floors, countertops and stairs. The officer was unable to turn on any lights, but none of the fuses were flipped in the breaker box.

Because of the resident’s inability to leave their own residence due to immobility and the state of the house, the officer forwarded a report to Adult Protective Services.

■ June 3 - An officer responded to a report of slashed tires. The complainant said their car alerted them to low tire pressure when they left work. They pulled into a nearby gas station in Colby to pump the tires up and noticed that the tires had puncture marks. The officer observed both passenger side tires to be punctured and flat. The complainant believed that an individual they had fired recently may have slashed the tires. They said they did not have any problems prior to the individual being fired, and within a week, this incident occurred. The tires were valued at about $150 each.

■ June 5 - A vehicle was observed parked at a hotel in Abbotsford. The registered owner had a felony warrant through Lincoln County, with a bond amount of $500 dollars.

See POLICE REPORTS/ Page 8 Police reports

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A K-9 alerted on the driver’s side passenger door. The officer met with the registered owner and informed them of their warrant. The owner said they knew they had a warrant as that had missed a court appearance.

The owner was placed under arrest and a search of the vehicle was conducted. A scale and two cut straws with white residue were located in the trunk. The officer asked the owner’s companion about the items found. The companion said the items belonged to them. They said they used the scale to weigh bananas and just liked cutting up straws. The officer informed the companion that if the items came back positive for any drug residue, they would receive a citation and/or criminal charges.

The bond for the warrant was $500. The companion said they would get the money. The vehicle owner was taken to the police station, and the companion brought $500 in cash for the warrant. The vehicle owner was released. The confiscated items were tested for marijuana and methamphetamine. Both tests came back negative.

■ June 6 - An officer was dispatched to a Colby residence in reference to a disturbance. The caller reported that their parents were fighting. Yelling could be heard in the background of the call.

The officer arrived and met with a male individual outside of the residence. The man said his family had moved to Wisconsin a year prior and had been living at this residence for a few weeks. He said he and his wife had been having problems. He explained that she stayed at home looking after their children while he worked. He described his job as moving from site to job site doing very physically demanding work. He said he was struggling to keep up with work, along with fixing up their house and saving money in order to buy the house.

The wife had also accused him of being unfaithful. He said he did not have time to have an affair, and that she had access to his phone with a tracker. He said she started accusing him of cheating, knowing it upset him. He said they began arguing very loudly about all of their issues until the police were called.

The wife told the officer the same story, but left out the cheating accusations. They both stated that the argument had not gotten physical. The officer also spoke with the caller, who was one of their children. The child said their parents had been yelling at each other, which scared them. They confirmed that no one had been hit and that they had just been yelling. Both parties had fully calmed down after the officer arrived. Neither party had anyone to stay with for the night. The husband said he had an errand to run a few blocks away and would walk there and back to give everyone more time to further compose themselves. The officer was confident that the couple would be able to remain calm and civil for the rest of the night.