COLBY-ABBOTSFORD POLICE

D EPARTMENT

■ July 20 - An officer was alerted to a vehicle that hit a pole in Colby and left the scene. An officer found the downed light pole in the yard of a residence on Second Street. Several bystanders said they saw a white Chevrolet pickup truck strike the pole. A Clark County Sheriff’s deputy reported seeing the pickup on STH 13, traveling at a speed of over 60 mph in a posted 45 mph zone.

The deputy followed the vehicle onto residential roads in Colby, but was having a hard time catching up to it. The deputy lost sight of the vehicle, but later located it parked irregularly in the driveway of a residence. Officers approached the unoccupied vehicle and observed it to have severe front-end damage. The damage made a concave “V’ near the center of the front bumper, which appeared to be consistent with striking a pole. A records check was conducted on the vehicle’s registration.

Officers then met with the occupants of the residence. The homeowner did not recognize the truck in their driveway or the registered owner. They said they had heard someone knocking on the door that connected their garage to the residence. Officers checked the garage and did not locate anyone. Officers observed a second garage door to be unlocked. An officer heard a branch snap in the woods directly behind the residence. Officers set up a perimeter and deployed a K-9 for tracking. While starting the track near the vehicle, the K-9 alerted to the smell of narcotics. The K-9 was able to track a scent to the backyard of another residence down the street before the trail was lost.

A search of the vehicle uncovered a wallet containing an ID of the registered owner, along with a bag containing a white powdery substance. Several empty bottles of beer were also located behind the driver’s seat. The vehicle was towed away and a hold was placed on it until the operator came forward.

The officer was later advised that the vehicle owner came to the police station multiple times, asking for the location of their truck and to speak with the officer in charge. The owner claimed that a friend had been driving the vehicle and now they didn’t know where it was. The owner was unable to provide any information about the friend.

The officer met with the vehicle owner at their residence in Abbotsford and provided them with their wallet. The owner said they were at a bar in Colby when their friend went to move the vehicle, and they didn’t know where the vehicle was now. The officer observed small cuts and scratches on the vehicle owner’s forearms and hands, consistent with walking through brush.

The officer advised the owner that their wallet had been located in the vehicle. The officer asked if the owner had been the one driving. The owner said they initially moved the vehicle from in front of a bar to another street. The officer knew that the street directly in front of the bar was closed due to a festival. The owner said they did not drive the vehicle after that. The officer advised that they knew the owner was lying and pointed out the scratches on their arms, which they did not have an explanation for.

The owner admitted to driving to Abbotsford and then back to Colby before parking because they were too intoxicated to drive. The owner said they had observed a police car behind them with its lights on, which was why they pulled into the driveway and ran. The officer told the owner about the cocaine located in the vehicle. The owner admitted to using cocaine, but was unaware it was in the vehicle. The officer asked if they had struck a pole while leaving the establishment. The owner said they did not remember as they were very intoxicated.

Due to the owner admitting to seeing the squad lights, lying about the friend driving, and the cocaine located in the vehicle, they were placed under arrest. The owner was transported to the Clark County Jail and the hold on the vehicle was released.

■ July 20 - A complainant told an officer that they had purchased a motorcycle back in February, but they did not have a place to store it over the winter, so they contacted an individual who had agreed to store the motorcycle at their residence in Colby. Sometime in June, the complainant tried to contact the individual so they could get their motorcycle back. The individual told them that they had done some work on the motorcycle and would not give it back until the complainant paid them for the work. The complainant said they had never told the individual to do any work on the motorcycle and would just like it back. Since June, the complainant has been unable to get in contact with the individual. The complainant gave the officer the title to the motorcycle, along with a description of it. The complainant said the motorcycle was worth around $2,500.

The officer drove to the individual’s residence in an attempt to get the motorcycle back. The officer met with the individual’s father, who said he did not know of a motorcycle being at his residence and had not seen his son for a while. The father said his son is an adult and he does not keep track of him.

■ July 22 - An officer met with an Abbotsford resident regarding a civil complaint. The complainant said they had lent an individual $7,000 back in March. The individual agreed to pay interest and now owes the complainant $9,000. The complainant had been communicating with the individual over text, but as of July 7, the individual had stopped responding to the complainant’s messages.

The complainant showed the officer some of the messages, in which the individual gave excuses about not paying the money back on time. The complainant said they found out that the individual owes other people more than $5,000, and the other victims will be taking the individual to civil court. The complainant understood that this was a civil issue and just wanted it documented.

■ July 23 - An officer with the Wisconsin State Capitol Police informed local police of a threat against Gov. Evers that possibly originated in Abbotsford. The capitol officer said a threatening email had been sent to the governor’s office, and the information on the email came back to a suspected alias and address in Abbotsford. The number and address belonged to a restaurant in Abbotsford. The IP address also traced back to that restaurant.

The investigation led to an individual residing in Abbotsford with a similar name to the alias provided. The CAPD initially provided a phone number for the individual. The capitol officer asked a CAPD officer to speak with the individual in person, as they sounded nervous on the phone. The capitol officer asked that they find out if the individual had sent the email, and if they had plans to harm anyone mentioned in the email.

On July 24, an officer met with the suspect at their residence. The individual said they had received a call from someone the day prior and had nothing to do with the email. They said they were actually happy that the officer had come by, as they had given the caller a fair bit of personal information and were not able to verify that the caller was actually an officer.

The officer showed the individual a copy of the email and asked if they had sent it. The individual read through it quickly, and denied sending it it or having anything to do with it. The officer asked if the individual had any plans or intentions to harm Gov. Evers or anyone else mentioned in the email. The individual said no. They also mentioned that they would never threaten anyone in the government as it would get them fired immediately from their public service position.

The officer asked if the individual knew anyone by the alias given. The individual said no one they were related to had that name, but they were aware of a resident just outside of Abbotsford with a similar name. The officer did not have any serious concerns regarding the individual posing a threat to anyone mentioned in the email. The officer was able to locate information for an individual at the other residence mentioned, but at the time the report was filed, they had not attempted to contact them. The report was sent to the State Capitol Police for their records.

■ July 25 - A traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle traveling 59 mph in a posted 45 mph zone in Colby, without its lights on. The officer met with the driver, who did not have a valid license or insurance on the vehicle. The officer was informed that the driver was out on bond for operating without a valid license (second offense within three years). One of the conditions was to not drive unless properly licensed and insured.

The officer could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle. The officer had the driver exit the vehicle and conducted a search of their person. A vape pen was located in the pocket of their pants. The driver admitted that the vape pen contained marijuana. A search of the vehicle uncovered multiple vape pens containing marijuana, along with a bag containing marijuana and a rolled up blunt. All of the evidence was collected and the officer informed the driver they would be getting citations in the mail for driving without a valid license, driving without insurance, and marijuana possession.

■ July 25 - An officer was made aware of an assault that occurred at a nursing home in Colby. The administrator advised that two residents were in the dining room during lunch. When one resident was being wheeled past the other, they stuck their arm out and punched the other resident on the side. Neither resident remembered anything happening and no one was injured. The administrator asked that the incident be documented so it could be reported to the State of Wisconsin, per the nursing home’s policy.

■ July 25 - An officer was notified of a neighbor’s dog getting out of their fenced yard and pooping in the complainant’s yard. As the officer was speaking with the complainant, an individual called the complainant stating that the dog was loose, but they did not want an officer to pick it up because they did not want a citation. The individual was advised of the complaint. The individual said the dog did not belong to them and provided the owner’s information. The owner was mailed a citation for permitting an animal to run at large.

■ July 27 - A traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle deviating from its lane of travel while traveling on STH 13 in Abbotsford. The officer met with the driver, who said they did not realize they had crossed the center line. While speaking to the driver, the officer observed the driver to have glossy eyes, slurred speech, and a strong odor of alcohol.

The driver said they were coming from a friend’s house in Colby and were heading to their home in Abbotsford. The officer asked what they had been doing at the friend's house. The driver said they had consumed two beers at a party. They said they started drinking around 11 p.m. and stopped drinking an hour prior. The officer noted that the time of the stop was 2:56 a.m.

The driver agreed to do field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test, the result of which was 0.191. The driver was placed under arrest and cited for operating while under the influence (1st), operating with a prohibited blood-alcohol content (1st>0.15), and operating without valid license.

■ July 27 - An officer received a call from a Wood County deputy regarding a vehicle recovered just north of Babcock. They were advised that the deputy had received a report that a Ford F350 had struck a pole. The truck was unoccupied and had sustained a lot of damage. The registered owner was contacted and was informed of the truck’s whereabouts. The owner said the truck belonged to the carnival they operate, and it was last seen in Colby during Cheese Days.

The owner said the truck had been parked in the grass near North First Street and West Jefferson Street, and had last been seen between the night of July 18 and the morning hours of July 19. The owner said it had been raining, so they rolled up the windows in the truck. The owner said they were not sure if the keys were left in the truck or if another worker took them. All of the employees were accounted for, and none of them were in an accident on the date the truck was recovered. The owner said they had not given anyone permission to take the truck. The owner advised that they would call back if they heard any information from employees regarding the truck being taken.

■ July 28 - An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in a 30 mph zone. The officer met with the driver, who believed they may have been speeding a little as they had just gotten off of work and were tired. The driver also informed the officer that their GPS was acting up. The driver said they worked at a facility in Stetsonville and lived in Marshfield.

While speaking with the officer, the driver opened the glove box of the vehicle to gather information. The officer observed a vape pen inside of the glove box. The vape pen had a thick yellow substance in its container. The officer asked if the vape had THC. The driver admitted it was and surrendered it to the officer.

The officer then conducted a records check on the driver. As the officer returned to the vehicle, they saw the driver holding a chip bag. The officer asked the driver to exit the vehicle. The driver placed the bag of chips in a lunch box and started to get out of the vehicle, and then attempted to go back inside and grab the lunch box. The officer advised the driver to leave the lunch box in the car. A probable cause search of the vehicle turned up marijuana in the chip bag.

The driver initially claimed the marijuana came from a vape store. The officer said they believed the driver had just picked up the marijuana in town due to their navigation difficulties traveling in a straight line on STH 13 from Stetsonville to Marshfield. The driver then admitted that they had just picked the marijuana up. The officer advised that the driver would be receiving multiple citations in the mail and then released them from the scene. The vape and suspected marijuana both tested positive for THC. Citations for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of THC/marijuana, and unreasonable imprudent speed were mailed to the driver.

■ July 31 - An officer received a call from the district manager of a business in Colby. The manager said an individual had threatened violence against other employees and threatened to burn down the main office in Adams. The individual worked at the location in Colby, and had taken a week off of work, but had not entered their PTO into their time sheet. As a result, the PTO was not paid out to the individual.

The individual had called the human resources director, cursed them out, and said they would have punched them in the face if they were standing in front of them. The individual also called the main office and threatened to burn it down. The manager said they would have worked with the individual to come up with a solution, but due to their behavior, they wanted them banned from any of the business’s properties, including the one in Colby. The manager advised that the individual had already quit.

On Aug. 1, the individual was issued a warning letter and advised of the consequences if they were to go onto any of the properties.

■ July 31 - An officer was dispatched to an Abbotsford address after someone called 911 and said they needed help before hanging up. The officer arrived at the area and observed a female walking while on the phone. The female stated she had called 911 because her brother’s ex-spouse had been violent towards him. She advised that both parties had already left before the officer’s arrival.

The officer then went to the brother’s residence in Abbotsford to take his complaint. The complainant said his ex-spouse had come to the store he was at after finding out he was there with his pregnant girlfriend. He said the ex struck his girlfriend and he wanted to press charges. The complainant provided the officer with two videos of the incident.

In the first video, the ex is seen yelling and walking fast toward the couple. The complainant gets between the ex and his girlfriend.

The ex yells at him and slaps him in the face, then walks away. In the second video, the couple is seen walking out of the store. The ex is waiting outside and begins yelling at the complainant as he exits. The ex then starts swinging her arms and throws herself onto the girlfriend. The ex hits the girlfriend before the complainant is able to get between them and push the ex off. The ex starts yelling again, and an unknown individual tells her to leave.

The officer asked what happened that led to the confrontation.

The complainant said he took his girlfriend to the store to get snacks.

It was all calm until the ex came into the store and started yelling at them about how the complainant was not paying child support and was buying his girlfriend snacks instead.

The the ex ended up slapping him on the side of his face. The officer observed the complainant to have a small cut on his cheek.

The ex left the store, but was still outside and continued to yell at them as they were leaving. The ex launched herself toward the girlfriend and was able to slap her in the face before the complainant could get between them again. The complainant said he had to push the ex back in order to get his girlfriend into the vehicle without getting hurt. He then got into the vehicle and drove away.

The complainant said he and his ex had been together for 13 years, but they separated a year ago. They have two children together. The complainant said there had been violence in the past, and he was afraid of what the ex would do to his girlfriend. The complainant did not want his ex arrested because she had the children and she would lose her job.

The officer then met with the exspouse. She said she went to the store and noticed that the complainant and his girlfriend were there buying snacks. She got upset since the complainant does not pay child support. The ex said it was an ongoing issue that he was not helping her out financially with their children. The officer asked the ex if she had hit the complainant. The ex said she did not believe so. The officer advised that there was a video showing her hitting him. The ex said she did not know because she blacked out. She said the complainant was the one who was shoving her and she got her glasses knocked off. The ex then stated that the girlfriend would message her over social media, but then delete the messages.

Due to the children being in the house, the officer asked the ex to speak outside. Once outside, the office placed her under arrest for domestic disorderly conduct and battery. The officer asked if the children could stay with the complainant. The ex said no, and she called a friend to pick up the children. The officer informed the complainant of the ex’s arrest and the children’s whereabouts. The ex was then transported to the Clark County Jail.