Law Enforcement

■ April 10 - An officer was contacted by Colby DPW regarding a light pole laying in the yard of a residence. The officer observed the street light to be knocked over on the east side of the street, meaning it would have been struck by a vehicle traveling north. The officer located a small green piece of metal that possibly came from a piece of heavy equipment. It was apparent from where the pole had been hit that it wasn’t done by a car.

The officer was later contacted by the Colby DPW again and told that two more poles had been struck south of the original location. Both poles were still standing but the light fixtures on top were broken off from the impact. The poles had holes in them about five feet off the ground. No footage of either incident was available.

The officer was given an address of someone who may have a piece of farm equipment that could have struck the poles. The owner of the equipment said they had not run any equipment through Colby on that date. Their equipment was black and red, not green. The owner stated they would check with others in the area to see if anyone else had heard anything.

■ April 13 - An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling 46 mph in a posted 25 mph zone in Abbotsford. The officer met with the driver who said they had not been paying attention to their speed. The officer was advised that the driver had a suspended license and three body only warrants in Taylor County. The driver was issued citations for operating after suspension and exceeding speed zones by 20-24 mph. The driver was placed under arrest for the three warrants, transported to the intersection of STH 13 and County Line Road and turned over to a Taylor County deputy.

■ April 14 - An officer took a harassment complaint from an Abbotsford resident. The complainant explained that their significant other lived with another individual. On April 13, this individual came over and was honking their horn outside of the complainant’s residence. The individual then came inside and took the complainant outside of the house. The complainant stated that the individual did the same thing on April 6. The complainant said they were very scared of the individual.

The complainant was very upset, going from crying to laughing hysterically. The complainant told the officer that both their spouse and their son had died within the last six years. They mentioned wanting to die as well. The officer contacted Northwest Connections due to the complainant’s comments and erratic behavior. A safety plan was put in place for the complainant. The complainant’s daughter was also connected. The daughter advised that she would stop at the residence after work.

The officer asked the complainant if they had any guns in the house. The complainant said they did and they were willing to surrender them to police until they were feeling better.

The officer later contacted the individual and asked if they had been at the complainant’s house on April 6 and 13. The individual stated that they were there to pick up their significant other. The officer asked if they had used their car horn. The individual denied doing so. The officer asked if they could stay away from the complainant and the complainant’s property. The individual stated that they would.

■ April 14 - An officer was dispatched to STH 29 near Hiline Avenue in Abbotsford for a report of a car with damage to the rear bumper driving eastbound on STH 29. The officer was advised by a Clark County deputy that they had located the vehicle but had lost sight of it as it was driving at a high rate of speed. The deputy had been informed that the vehicle had turned south on CTH E.

The officer located the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed near CTH N near North 7th Street in Colby. The vehicle appeared to accelerate as the officer activated their emergency lights and siren to conduct a stop. The officer advised dispatch that they would be in pursuit of the vehicle as it traveled eastbound at a high rate of speed on Spence Street.

The vehicle lost control after hitting a long tube in the middle of the road. The vehicle came to rest in the yard of a Colby residence. The driver exited the vehicle and ran into an open field. The officer pursued and the K9 was deployed to apprehend the suspect. The officer lost sight of the suspect upon entering the woods connected to the field. The K9 was able to locate the suspect, and the officer held the suspect at gunpoint until another officer arrived to assist in placing them under arrest. A Clark County deputy assisted in walking the suspect to an ambulance for a medical check. While the suspect was being examined, the K9 alerted to the presence of drugs in the suspect’s vehicle. A search uncovered a rolled-up blunt, a multicolored container, a pill container with 87 pills inside, a bag with a green leafy substance inside, a case with a Glock handgun and 20 bullets. All the evidence was placed in a patrol vehicle for later testing.

A criminal background check on the suspect identified them as a felon. The suspect was transported to the Marshfield Medical center for a medical evaluation. They were cleared and then transported to the Clark County Jail. The evidence was tested and came back positive for marijuana.

■ April 15 - An officer responded to a complaint of threats at an assisted living facility in Colby. The facility had been put on lock down due to threatening messages and pictures that had been sent to one of the residents and the resident’s daughter. The resident said their daughter had been getting checks mailed to her from a male individual, who was threatening to harm them if they did not return the money. When the daughter tried to cash the checks, they came back invalid. The daughter informed the resident that they had spoken with a Taylor County deputy who said they were being scammed. The two were advised to block the scammer on all social media platforms and phone numbers and to contact the bank to change their account information.

The officer then spoke with the facilities administrator and informed them of the situation. The officer advised that the lockdown could be canceled as they were in no danger. The administrator requested extra patrols around the facility to make sure no one comes by without their knowledge.

■ April 16 - An officer received a complaint from an Abbotsford resident regarding garbage that had been placed on top of the complainant’s locked garbage bin. The complainant said their bins were locked for a reason and that this individual left two garbage bags behind. The complainant showed the officer a photo of the incident. The complainant wanted the individual to come retrieve their garbage as the complainant’s bins are not for public use.

■ April 16 - A found dog was reported on STH 13 in Abbotsford. The dog was a black male puppy that appeared to be a terrier mix. The dog had a slim purple nylon collar with no tags. No chip reader was found. The dog was secured at the city kennel until an owner could be located. A short time later, the owner called for the dog. The owner stated that the dog had gotten loose as it was new to their residence. The owner filled out a stray animal form, and the dog was turned over to them with a verbal warning.

■ April 17 - An officer received a scam complaint from two individuals who said they had received a call with the caller ID of “Bone and Joint Clinic.” Due to recently receiving care from there, the complainants believed the call to be legit. The complainants stated that the caller sounded foreign and asked for their Medicare subscriber number, which they provided. Their spouse’s number was also requested and provided. The caller then asked for the doctor and hospital’s information before the complainants realized the call was possibly a scam and hung up.

The complainant called the clinic to confirm the authenticity of the call and found out that it was a scam. They were advised to contact the police. The complainant confirmed that they had not given out any other personal information. The officer advised them to contact Medicare and let them know of the incident so that they can monitor the account.

■ April 17 - An officer took a damage complaint from the owner of a property in Abbotsford. The complainant showed the officer to the corner of their property, which butted up against a business’s parking lot. At the corner of the property was a chain link fence, with the corner post having been damaged and bent over. The complainant said they had not been at the property for a few days and were not sure when it happened. The damage appeared to have been caused by a large vehicle rounding the corner, and it did not appear intentional. The officer asked the complainant to let them know how much the fence would cost to repair.

The officer then went to the business to check cameras for a striking vehicle. An individual familiar with the incident said the company’s snow removal service had struck the fence on March 19. The driver reported the damage to them and was advised to contact the owner of the property. The driver said they would, but must not have.

The officer was given the contact information for the driver and called to ask about the incident. The driver said they had stopped a few times at the owner’s shop, but the owner was not there. The driver did not have a phone number for the owner and was busy with other jobs. The driver said they were still planning on contacting the owner if they see them at the shop. The officer gave the owner’s contact information to the driver so that they could work out a solution.

■ April 18 - A traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle traveling through Abbotsford. The driver of the vehicle had a suspended driver’s license, while the passenger’s license was revoked. They claimed to be heading to a hotel in Abbotsford. While speaking with the two, the officer was able to see a long tube coming from the back seat of the vehicle that appeared to be some sort of smoking device. The officer asked the driver if there was any marijuana in the vehicle, as they could smell it coming from inside. The driver said there was no marijuana in the vehicle. The officer asked when the last time was that they smoked marijuana and if they had done so in the vehicle. The driver stated that they smoked in their vehicle several hours ago while in Medford.

The officer informed the driver that a search of the vehicle would be conducted and had both of the occupants exit the vehicle. A search of their persons was conducted with nothing found on either. Located in the center counsel were two vape pens. The driver said they were marijuana vape pens and belonged to them. Located on the floor behind the driver’s seat was a container with two grinders, three containers with a green leafy substance inside, an attachment to a bong, and a vape pen. The driver said everything inside of the container was theirs. Located behind the driver’s seat was a large bong, which the driver stated also belonged to them. Located in the storage compartment of the front passenger door was two vape pens. The passenger said they belonged to them and were marijuana vape pens. Located between the front passenger seat and center council was a bag of marijuana gummies. The driver stated those belonged to them as well. All of the evidence was placed in an evidence bag to be tested.

The driver was issued a citation for operating while suspended. The officer also informed the driver and passenger that the evidence would be tested, and they would be receiving citations for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia if the items came back positive. The evidence was transported to the police station and tested positive for marijuana. Citations will be mailed to the driver and passenger.

■ April 18 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford bar in reference to a possible fight. The officer made contact with an individual outside of the establishment who seemed to be very intoxicated. The individual said everything was fine and nothing was going on.

The officer then spoke with an individual inside of the establishment. The individual was laying on the ground with blood coming out of the back of their head. Other patrons said the individual had fallen off of a bar stool and hit their head on the ground.

The officer spoke with the bartender, who said the individual outside had started to yell at another customer, claiming that the injured individual falling on the ground was the other patron’s fault. The bartender had gotten in between the individual and the other patron to explain the situation. When the bartender started to walk back behind the bar, the first individual yelled insults toward them and came at the bartender. The bartender put their hands up to stop the individual, and the individual pushed them. The bartender told the individual to leave and they did.

The officer went back out to speak with the individual and informed them that they were no longer allowed inside the establishment that night. The individual said they understood and were going home. An ambulance arrived and transported the injured party to a hospital in Marshfield.

■ April 20 - An officer received a harassment complaint from an assisted living facility in Colby. The manager on duty stated that between April 18 and 19, staff had received

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approximately 50 prank phone calls to the facility. The last call came at 11:30 p.m. on April 19. The callers would say they are coming to visit a resident. They would say they were waiting outside and ask staff to bring a wheelchair. Staff would bring the wheelchair outside and no one would be there. Then, while the staff member was waiting outside, the callers would call back and say they were coming later. Some of the calls were just heavy breathing and moaning. When asked about the calls, the resident in question said they did not have any grandsons.

The facility was able to provide one of the caller IDs to the officer, as well as the other number that had been calling. The officer was provided with contact information for the father of the caller and left a voicemail about the incident. The officer then called the other phone number. The owner of the phone number stated that their brother and his friend had been using their cell phone to make prank calls to the facility. The owner of the cell phone had told them to stop and called the facility to let the staff know it had been prank calls.

The officer spoke with the mother of the prank caller and explained that her son and his friend had called the facility about 50 times and had disrupted the staff with their pranks. Due to the number of calls and staff disruptions, the officer said a referral for unlawful use of a telephone would be sent to the Clark County Juvenile Court.

■ April 20 - A traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle observed to be traveling 50 mph in a posted 30 mph zone in Colby. While following the vehicle, the officer observed it deviating from its lane and almost hitting a light pole as the passenger side of the vehicle went onto the grass. The officer recognized the driver from prior law enforcement contacts. The officer could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from the driver. The driver told the officer that they had consumed three beers that night. The driver’s information came back with a revoked driver’s license and a warrant for their arrest.

The driver was willing to do field sobriety tests but was unwilling to do a preliminary breath test. The officer informed the driver that they would be placed under arrest for operating while under the influence (2nd) and for the warrant. The driver was transported to the police station and submitted to a chemical test of their breath. The driver was issued citations for operating while under the influence (2nd), operating with a prohibited alcohol content (2nd), operating while revoked, unsafe lane deviation, and speeding on city highway (20-24 mph over). The driver was then taken to the Marathon County Jail.

■ April 20 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford residence in regards to a vehicle hitting a house. The complainant said they had left on April 17 and came back that day. When they arrived back at the residence, they noticed damage to the gutters on the residence. The complainant said this has happened before, and the last time someone hit the residence, it was with a Uhaul truck. The complainant said there had been no damage when they left, but they did not know when the accident had occurred.

■ April 20 - A traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle after it failed to yield the right of way at a traffic light in Colby. While the officer was waiting for a red light on Spence Street, the other vehicle had its left turn signal on. When the light turned green and the officer started to drive forward, the other vehicle failed to yield the right of way and turned in front of the officer’s squad. The officer then turned to follow the vehicle due to the violation. The vehicle deviated from its lane, crossing the dotted line.

The officer pulled the vehicle over and met with the driver, who said they were coming from a party in Colby and going home to their house in Abbotsford. The officer observed the driver had red, glossy eyes and could detect the odor of alcohol. The officer asked the driver if they had been drinking alcohol. The driver stated he did not. The officer told the driver they could smell alcohol. The driver admitted to drinking two drinks.

The officer asked the driver to perform field sobriety tests. The driver performed the test, and there were no signs of impairment. The officer asked the driver if he was willing to take a preliminary breath test. The driver agreed and the result was a .03 blood-alcohol level.

The driver was issued a citation for operating without a valid drivers license and underage drinking. He was told that he would need to call someone to pick him up.