Shawano Leader News

Snow must be moved in 24 hoursBy: 

Leader Staff

Shawano police have logged dozens of complaints over the past week about snow not being cleared from city sidewalks.

“There’s a lot of misinformation or people not realizing we have to keep our sidewalks clear of snow,” Chief Mark Kohl said.

The Police Department is also asking people to consider helping their neighbors clear the snow if their neighbors find it difficult.

“We’ve all heard of mishaps of pedestrians slipping and falling as a result of uncleared sidewalks,” Kohl said. “If you know of a neighbor that is unable to clear their sidewalks, please give them a hand and shovel for them.

“With the early snowfall, this is something to plan for now and prepare for that next dusting. When possible, please clear snow away from fire hydrants as well.”

The city requires snow to be removed within 24 hours.

According to city ordinances, “the owner or lessee of every lot or parcel of land in the city in front of or abutting upon a sidewalk shall clear the entire sidewalk of snow within 24 hours after any given snowfall and shall cause the entire sidewalk to be kept clear of snow and ice.”

If the snow is not removed within 24 hours, the city will contact a vendor to remove the snow from the sidewalk at the home owner’s expense.

Repeat violations may be subject to ordinance violations and forfeitures.

The city’s Field Committee will consider exemptions under certain circumstances.

“Such request shall be submitted in writing and shall detail the unnecessary hardship or practical difficulty claimed (i.e., mid-block sidewalk not connected to any other sidewalk),” according to the ordinance. “Any exemptions so granted by the Field Committee shall be in writing, and shall clearly show what particular and specific unnecessary hardship or practical difficulty is exempted or extended, and a copy of same shall be filed with the clerk-treasurer so as to be available for public inspection.”

Kohl said the department’s community service officers are available to answer questions regarding city ordinances and neighborhood concerns.

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Shawano Police Department

Nov. 19

Police logged 24 incidents, including the following:

Accident — Police responded to report of a vehicle in a ditch in the 200 block of Pearl Avenue.

Accident — A city of Shawano Department of Public Works snow plow struck a fire hydrant at Richmond and Franklin streets.

Juvenile — Police logged seven truancy complaints from Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B.

Theft — Police responded to a theft complaint in the 100 block of Woodlawn Drive.

Suspicious — Police responded to a suspicious person complaint in the 200 block of South Sawyer Street.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Nov. 19

Deputies logged 45 incidents, including the following:

Disorderly — Authorities responded to a disorderly conduct complaint on Rollman Street in Bowler.

Warrant — A 47-year-old man was taken into custody on a warrant on Birch Drive in Maple Grove.

Trespass — Authorities responded to a trespassing complaint on County Road Z in Aniwa.

Disorderly — Authorities responded to a disorderly conduct complaint on First Street in Bonduel.

Hit and Run — Authorities investigated a property damage hit-and-run at the North Star Casino, W12180 County Road A, Bowler.

Theft — Money was reported stolen from a purse on Wood Avenue in Wittenberg.

Assault — Authorities investigated an assault on Hemlock Road in Wittenberg.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance on Hemlock Road in Wittenberg.

Accidents — Authorities logged 26 accidents, including an injury accident on County Road G in the town of Grant, and eight deer-related crashes.

Clintonville Police Department

Nov. 19

Police logged seven incidents, including the following:

Theft — A citation for retail theft was issued on South Main Street.

Accident — Police responded to a two-vehicle property damage accident at Main and Ninth streets.

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Felony OWI

A Shawano man was ordered held on a $25,000 bond after being arrested Sunday for his alleged seventh drunken driving offense.

James V. Pennewell, 53, was pulled over in Gresham after narrowly missing a Stockbridge-Munsee police squad while speeding, according to the criminal complaint.

A preliminary breath test showed a blood/alcohol level of 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit, according to the complaint.

Pennewell could face a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine if found guilty of seventh-offense operating while intoxicated.

Pennewell is also charged with misdemeanor counts of obstructing an officer for allegedly giving false information during his arrest, operating while revoked and attempted criminal damage to property for allegedly kicking at the squad car window.

According to court records, Pennewell has three previous OWI convictions in Shawano County, including one causing injury, two in Rock County and one in Grant County that also caused great bodily harm.

He was sentenced in his last conviction in Rock County in February 2012 to 18 months in prison and 18 months extended supervision.

Pennewell is due in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing on the new charges.

Aggravated battery

A Shawano woman is facing a felony count of domestic-abuse related battery after a domestic disturbance in the city last week.

Debbie A. Smith, 50, is accused of causing great bodily harm to a man during a fight Friday in which she allegedly hit him with a stick and threw objects at him that caused a serious cut to his arm, according to the criminal complaint.

Smith could face a maximum possible penalty of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.

She is free on a $750 cash bond and is due in court for a preliminary hearing Dec. 4.

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City tax rate increase offset by other entities’ decreasesBy: 

Tim Ryan, [email protected]

Shawano property owners will see their overall taxes go down a bit in 2015 despite a slight increase in the city’s portion of the bill.

The Shawano Common Council on Wednesday approved a budget for next year that calls for a 3 percent hike in the levy, from $4.5 million to $4.64 million.

That will translate into a tax rate for city purposes of about $9.05 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, an increase from $8.76 per $1,000 this year.

The total tax bill, however, will go down for city taxpayers, thanks to decreases for all other taxing entities, from $24.61 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $23.75 per $1,000.

The Shawano School District’s portion of the levy will ease from $5.3 million to $5.2 million, with a tax rate for school purposes going from $10.35 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $10.12 per $1,000.

Shawano County’s portion of the levy will decrease from $2.64 million to $2.6 million, with the tax rate dipping from $5.14 per $1,000 to $5.

The state’s share will drop from $87,551 to $85,118, with the tax rate going down roughly one cent per $1,000.

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s share will fall by more than half, from $855,980 to $393,770, with the tax rate dropping from $1.67 per $1,000 to $0.77.

The most significant change in the city’s operating budget will be the addition of a detective for the Shawano Police Department, along with the addition of a part-time community services officer.

“This will add one more person to the department staff, bringing the full-time force to 20 officers,” Chief Mark Kohl said.

Kohl said the department will promote from within for the detective position and then refill the vacancy in the patrol staff.

“We do have some officers that are highly qualified and very much interested,” Kohl said.

Additional training will be required in specialized areas such as narcotics, arson and fraud, he said.

The city’s Police and Fire Commission will meet on Dec. 16 to discuss how to address staffing vacancies that also include the retirement announced last week of Capt. Jeff Heffernon and Police Officer Adam Bieber’s election as Shawano County sheriff.

The new part-time community services officer will work nights and weekends, Kohl said, to respond to code violations not being addressed during the regular shift.

“There are a lot of calls being missed that the current schedule doesn’t allow us to address quickly,” Kohl said.

The council unanimously approved the budget following a a public hearing that was not attended by any members of the public.

Mayor Lorna Marquardt thanked department heads for their efforts.

“They put a lot of work into this budget,” she said. “I know they certainly want to move the city forward, and I think they’re doing that with this budget.”

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Brown County HR manager to replace MadsenBy: 

Lee Pulaski, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Brent Miller, left, talks about why he was interested in the county administrative coordinator position Wednesday during the Shawano County Board meeting as Supervisor Gene Hoppe, chairman of the Administrative Committee, listens.

Shawano County will have a new administrative coordinator, just in time for Christmas.

The County Board voted unanimously Wednesday to hire Brent Miller, of Green Bay, to take over the full-time position, effective Dec. 22.

Miller will replace Tom Madsen, who has been the county’s part-time administrative coordinator since 2012.

Twenty-two people applied for the position, and five were interviewed by an ad-hoc committee. The Administrative Committee recommended that Miller be hired.

Miller is the human resources manager for Brown County. He previously worked as the administrative coordinator for Marquette County and as the human service director for Columbia County.

Miller also served for 21 years in the United States Army and National Guard.

“I’m planning to move over here to Shawano County. In fact, my wife and I just looked at a house not too long ago, even before I applied for this position,” Miller told the County Board. “Hunting and fishing are very big in our lives, so we really wanted to get into this community.”

The county made the administrator position part-time as a way to balance the budget for 2012 when then-coordinator Frank Pascarella announced he was leaving to become Chippewa County’s administrator.

The board voted in July, however, to restore the position to full-time.

Recent long-term projects, such as a wage study and merger of the social services and community programs departments, convinced supervisors that the county needed a full-time administrator.

Madsen has said that, despite being paid for 25 hours a week, he was working 40 hours or more most weeks.

Miller will receive an annual salary of $87,000; benefits are expected to boost his compensation above $100,000. The final amount will depend on what health insurance plan Miller opts to take, according to county Finance Director Diane Rusch.

Pascarella’s compensation package was about $120,000 annually when he left.

Supervisor Gene Hoppe, committee chairman, said the county interviewed “five great, great candidates.”

He described Miller as someone who was easy to work and talk with.

“The one we chose had an impeccable resume,” Hoppe said. “He’s just a fantastic guy. I think everybody’s going to like him.”

Miller said he preferred working for a county with an administrative coordinator rather than a county executive because the power rests with elected officials and the residents.

He said the county executive approach is “like a mini form of state government, and I’m not a big fan of that.”

“When I saw this position, I wanted to come back to the administrative coordinator form of government,” he said.

Madsen’s job performance was not discussed prior to the vote, but Supervisor Sandy Steinke said afterward that Madsen had done an exceptional job during his time with the county.

Madsen, who was one of the finalists interviewed, said he had no hard feelings over the board’s decision. He said he had no immediate plans.

“I believe my time here was well spent, and I did enact some changes for the positive,” Madsen said. “I think they picked a very good person to replace me.”

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Shawano Police Department

Nov. 18

Police logged 32 incidents, including the following:

Littering — The Shawano Food Pantry reported an individual dropping off three worthless television sets at the resale store, 218 E. Richmond St.

Traffic — A report of a missing manhole cover was made in the 1100 block of South Cleveland Street.

Theft — An automobile was reported stolen in the 500 block of South Main Street.

School — Police assisted with a student at Olga Brener Intermediate School, 1300 S. Union St.

Sidewalks — Police issued notices to 12 residences for inadequate snow and ice removal.

Disorderly — A report of a student striking another was made at Shawano Community Middle School, 1050 S. Union St.

Harassment — Police investigated a harassment complaint involving a mother and daughter in the 700 block of South Franklin Street.

Warrant — Police attempted to locate a woman on two outstanding warrants at Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St.

Assist — Police assisted a 17-year-old female from Tennessee in finding shelter at the police station, 125 S. Sawyer St.

Assist — Police assisted administration at Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B, with a student displaying unusual behavior and another allegedly under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Truancy — Three truancies were reported at Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Nov. 18

Deputies logged 42 incidents, including the following:

Disturbance — Deputies responded to a fight in progress at the Shawano County Jail, 405 N. Main St., Shawano.

Parking — Authorities responded to a complaint of a parking issue on Buss Drive in the town of Washington.

Theft — A debit card was reported stolen on Moh He Con Nuck Road in Bowler. The report was later determined unfounded.

Trespassing — Authorities responded to a complaint of unauthorized hunting on private property on Hunting Road in the town of Belle Plaine.

Harassment — Authorities investigated a complaint of harassment and threatening behavior through text messaging on Wescott Drive in the town of Wescott.

Juvenile — Authorities responded to a female runaway from Homme Home, W18105 Hemlock Road, in the town of Wittenberg.

Juvenile — Authorities responded to a juvenile alcohol complaint in the 200 block of South Warrington Avenue in Cecil.

Accident — Authorities logged a minor traffic accident on Maplewood Street in Bowler, and eight deer-related accidents were reported.

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Effort was first in city’s historyBy: 

Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent

Another chapter was added to the drama surrounding the Clintonville Common Council for the past several months Tuesday when District 4 residents recalled Alderman Greg Rose.

It was the first recall effort in the city’s 167-year history.

The unofficial results were as follows:

Lois Bressette 108

Greg Rose 93

Forty-three percent of the eligible voters cast ballots Tuesday.

Rose was elected to his District 4 seat in April 2013, defeating Bressette 84-77.

“It was difficult with a full-time job to run a full campaign,” Rose said Tuesday. “My opponent had more time to go door to door, and I did not, and it went in her favor. I congratulate her on the hard-fought campaign.”

Bressette, whose term will expire in April, could not be reached for comment.

Resident William VanDaalwyk launched the recall effort against Rose in July. The campaign collected 87 signatures; 56 were required.

VanDaalwyk said Rose’s actions, since being elected, were hostile to business and industry in Clintonville, and incited divisiveness within the community. He also said Rose breached his fiduciary duty by voting to replace a competent municipal attorney with an inexperienced relative of two council members.

Rose said that he voted for every business incentive item that came to a vote.

The Common Council voted 4-2 on Sept. 30 not to accept the certification of sufficiency issued Sept. 22 by City Clerk Peggy Johnson for the recall election.

No council members disputed the validity of the recall petition, but some said they did not think it was warranted.

Two days later, however, the state Government Accountability Board ordered the council “to promptly convene to call the recall election,” which it did on Oct. 7 with a unanimous vote, with Rose abstaining.

The recall effort coincided with the council’s decision to suspend then-City Administrator Lisa Kotter for unspecified allegations of misconduct.

Initially suspended in May, Kotter resigned Sept. 10. She and the city issued a news release saying her departure was not based on any misconduct but rather on “philosophical and stylistic differences.”

The city will continue paying Kotter through May 15, 2015, and Kotter agreed not to sue the city. Through August, the city had spent more than $17,000 on legal fees for the investigation and subsequent negotiations with Kotter.

At a meeting this fall, VanDaalwyk told council members other recall efforts could be coming.

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Lawyer accuses farmer of defamationBy: 

Tim Ryan, [email protected]

The animal rights group that sent an undercover investigator to videotape alleged abuse at a Shawano County farm this summer is disputing statements made in a Shawano County sheriff’s report summarizing the department’s investigation of the incidents.

Los Angeles-based Mercy For Animals (MFA) sent letters Tuesday to Birnamwood farm owner Alan Andrus and a Shawano County sheriff’s detective alleging the report contained “false and misleading statements.”

Details of the investigation, exclusively reported by the Leader last week, indicated that the MFA investigator who secretly recorded the abuse had been hired at the farm to train and oversee the workers who allegedly engaged in it.

Andrus told the detective he had hired a man identified in the report as Jason to work with and train the Hispanic employees because he was bilingual and fluent in Spanish, according to the detective’s report.

MFA general counsel Vandhana Bala denied that Tuesday, saying Jason was hired as a worker and not a manager.

Bala said, however, there was no formal employment agreement or anything that outlined Jason’s duties.

“There is nothing in writing,” she said.

Portions of the video have been broadcast in the media over the past week. The full video, obtained through an open records request from the Sheriff’s Department, does not show Jason working with the employees that he was videotaping.

There is also nothing in the video that indicates Jason ever tried to intervene or stop any of the alleged abuse.

Bala said that’s because there is a lot of video footage that was not turned over to the Sheriff’s Department.

“He was there for several weeks,” she said.

In the letters sent Tuesday, which MFA provided to the Leader, the animal rights group threatens Andrus with legal action over alleged defamation and claims the Sheriff’s Department tailored its investigation to protect the dairy industry.

“It is unfortunate that Shawano County law enforcement is choosing to turn a blind eye to documented egregious animal abuse in favor of protecting the profits of the dairy industry,” the letter to the Sheriff’s Department states. “It is even more unfortunate that law enforcement is resorting to making false and misleading statements in order to do so.”

Bala went further in her interview with the Leader on Tuesday.

“Shawano County law enforcement stinks of corruption,” she said.

The Sheriff’s Department submitted MFA’s video to one local veterinarian and to Dr. Ellen Hooker, a field veterinarian in the Division of Animal Health at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Both came to the conclusion that workers seen in the video needed to be trained to handle animals in a better manner, but that none of their actions warranted criminal prosecution.

Bala said she has seen the sheriff’s report but not the statements from the veterinarians.

The investigation results were turned over to the Shawano-Menominee County district attorney’s office, which declined to press charges based on the veterinarians’ conclusions.

Chief Deputy John Gutho said Tuesday the sheriff’s department thoroughly investigated the matter.

“The sheriff’s department did its job. The district attorney’s office did its job,” he said. “It is what it is.”

MFA has sent undercover investigators to videotape at numerous dairy and industrial farm operations over the past few years.

The Andrus farm, Bala said, was chosen at random, with the investigator applying for jobs all around the state and taking work wherever hired.

According to Bala, there has never been a case of a MFA investigator going undercover at a dairy or industrial farm and not finding abuse.

“It’s inherent in modern dairy and factory farming,” she said.

Bala said the group’s goal was to “end the needless suffering of farm animals,” but she also suggested that more humane treatment of animals was not the ultimate goal.

“We advocate the adoption of a plant-based diet,” she said.

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Keshena boy, 17, caught following chaseBy: 

Tim Ryan, [email protected]

Lamont Franklin

A burglary Sunday at a Stockbridge-Munsee police officer’s home and subsequent chase in a stolen car led to multiple felony charges Tuesday against a Keshena teenager.

Lamont Franklin, 17, is accused of breaking into the Red Springs home of Officer Clint Gorley around 4:30 p.m. and attempting to steal numerous household items and electronics, according to the criminal complaint.

Franklin allegedly took a pickup truck from a nearby residence when he fled the home, according to the complaint.

Authorities spotted the vehicle a short time later at the Gresham Town Mart and attempted an arrest, but Franklin sped off in the vehicle, according to the complaint.

Franklin allegedly struck two patrol vehicles attempting to stop him during the roughly 1½-mile chase that ensued before abandoning the truck and fleeing on foot into a cornfield.

Authorities tracked his footprints through the snow. Another report came in of a man who had been on someone’s porch in the vicinity and then jumped off and fled.

Franklin was taken into custody shortly after 6 p.m.

Franklin was charged Tuesday with five felony counts, including burglary, criminal damage to property, fleeing an officer in a vehicle, first degree reckless endangerment and driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

He could face a maximum 12½ years in prison and $25,000 fine on each of the most serious counts of burglary and reckless endangerment if convicted.

He is also charged with misdemeanor counts of theft, hit-and-run, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct.

Franklin was ordered held on a $25,000 cash bond after an initial appearance in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court Tuesday before Judge William Kussel Jr.

He is scheduled for an adjourned initial appearance Monday.

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Shawano Police Department

Nov. 17

Police logged 41 incidents, including the following:

Accident — Police responded to a two-vehicle property damage accident at Main Street and Lieg Avenue.

Juvenile — Police logged seven truancy complaints from the Shawano School District.

Juvenile — Police responded to a juvenile problem in the 400 block of South Main Street.

Code Violations — Police received 12 complaints of unshoveled snow around the city.

Harassment — Police responded to a harassment complaint at Shawano Medical Center, 309 N. Bartlett St.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Nov. 17

Deputies logged 35 incidents, including the following:

Child Abuse — A child abuse complaint in Red Springs was under investigation.

Suspicious — Authorities responded to a suspicious person complaint on County Road Y in Belle Plaine.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance on state Highway 29 in the town of Herman.

Accidents — Authorities logged an injury accident on County Road S in the town of Lessor and seven deer-related crashes, including one involving a squad.

Clintonville Police Department

Nov. 17

Police logged seven incidents, including the following:

Child Abuse — A child abuse complaint was under investigation.

Accident — A 23-year-old driver was cited for multiple traffic violations after a two-vehicle accident at Main and 13th streets.

Disturbance — A warning was issued after a neighbor dispute on Modoc Street.

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Shawano Police Department

Nov. 16

Police logged 13 incidents, including the following:

Drug Offense — An 18-year-old Shawano male was cited for possession of marijuana in the 800 block of South Water Street.

Property Damage — A clock at Kuckuk Park, Sunset Avenue and Lafayette Street, was reported damaged.

Juvenile — Police made a welfare check on juveniles sliding on a snow hill and playing on the ice at the Wolf River Beach, 211 N. Riverside Drive.

Nov. 15

Police logged 20 incidents, including the following:

Code Violations — Police received eight complaints of unshoveled snow around the city.

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance in the 1300 block of East Lieg Avenue.

Theft — Family Dollar, 413 S. Main St., reported $40 stolen from a donation jar.

Shoplifting — Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St., reported a 25-year-old female shoplifter in custody.

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance in the 700 block of South Lincoln Street.

Nov. 14

Police logged 57 incidents, including the following:

Code Violations — Police received 38 complaints of unshoveled snow around the city.

Accidents — Police responded to a vehicle versus deer crash at County Road B and Airport Drive and a single-vehicle property accident in the 600 block of South Main Street.

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance in the 500 block of East Green Bay Street.

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance in the 1000 block of Waukechon Street.

Disturbance — A 50-year-old Shawano woman was arrested on charges of substantial battery and domestic violence after a disturbance in the 500 block of South Washington Street.

Disturbance — A 27-year-old Neopit man was arrested for domestic violence and disorderly conduct, and a 48-year-old Shawano man was taken into custody on a warrant after a disturbance on Alpine Court.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Nov. 16

Deputies logged 45 incidents, including the following:

Vandalism — A mailbox was reported vandalized on Green Valley Road in the town of Green Valley.

OWI — A 53-year-old Shawano man was arrested for operating while intoxicated on Main Street in Gresham.

Reckless Driving — Authorities responded to a reckless driving complaint on state Highway 47 in Lessor.

Suspicious — Authorities responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint on U.S. Highway 45 in Birnamwood.

Accidents — Authorities logged 16 accidents, including an injury accident on County Road A in Bowler and nine deer-related crashes.

Nov. 15

Deputies logged 39 incidents, including the following:

Disturbance — A disturbance call on state Highway 22 in Green Valley was determined to be unfounded.

Suspicious — Authorities responded to a suspicious person complaint on County Road Q in Wittenberg.

Trespass — Authorities responded to a trespassing complaint on Range Line Road in Pella.

Suspicious — Authorities responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint on Witt-Birn Town Line Road in Wittenberg.

Hit and Run — Authorities investigated a property damage hit-and-run on Valley Road in Pella.

Accidents — Authorities logged an injury accident on Geider Road in Gresham and seven deer-related crashes.

Nov. 14

Deputies logged 53 incidents, including the following:

Warrant — A 29-year-old man was taken into custody on a warrant on Willow Road in Wittenberg.

Disorderly — Authorities responded to a disorderly conduct complaint at Bonduel Middle/High School, 400 W. Green Bay St., Bonduel.

Theft — A deer camera was reported stolen on Town Line Road in Waukechon.

Fraud — Authorities investigated a telephone scam complaint on Morning Glory Lane in Tigerton.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance at the Shawano County Courthouse, 311 N. Main St., Shawano.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a domestic disturbance on Green Bay Street in Bonduel.

Suspicious — Authorities responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint on Frailing Road in Wescott.

Accidents — Authorities logged 12 accidents, including 10 deer-related crashes.

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Man never alerted farm owner to problemsBy: 

Tim Ryan, [email protected]

A sheriff detective’s report of alleged animal abuse at a Shawano County farm indicates that the animal rights activist who secretly recorded the abuse had been hired at the farm to train and oversee the workers who allegedly engaged in it.

The video was made in August on the Birnamwood farm of Alan Andrus by Los Angeles-based Mercy for Animals. Portions of the video were released to the media this week.

Prior to that, the group had turned the video over to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department for investigation.

The video was recorded by a man identified in the detective’s report as Jason.

Andrus told the detective he had hired Jason to work with the Hispanic employees, and oversee and train them because he was bilingual and fluent in Spanish, according to the report.

Andrus stated Jason told him he had experience working on large dairy farms and working with Hispanic workers, according to the report. Andrus also told the detective he was surprised that Jason did not try to correct or report to Andrus any poor workmanship.

Andrus stated he was also told by employees that Jason participated in questionable handling of the animals. They also said he was seen docking the tails of the cows, much like is shown in the video, but “the video is edited so that those actions were not captured on video,” the report states.

According to the report, the detective sought to question Jason, but the animal rights group would not make him available for an interview.

The Sheriff’s Department submitted the video to one local veterinarian and to Dr. Ellen Hooker, a field veterinarian in the Division of Animal Health at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Both came to the conclusion that workers seen in the video at the Andrus farm needed to be trained to handle animals in a better manner, but that none of their activities rose to the level of prosecution for a crime.

The Shawano-Menominee County district attorney’s office this week issued a notice to the sheriff’s department that it would not prosecute, based on the veterinarians’ conclusions.

The detective’s report states that some of the acts in the video were “questionable,” but not criminal, according to the vets. That includes workers punching and kicking a downed cow to try and get it up on its feet, the report states.

Other acts were not quite what Mercy for Animals claimed, including, according to the rights group, a worker tying a rope around a downed cow’s neck and dragging her.

The downed cow had a leather collar. The rope was attached to the collar and the cow was pulled about five feet, with the pressure on the back of the cow’s neck rather than the front, “so it was not choked in any way,” according to the detective’s report.

The rights group also alleged a cow was stabbed with a needle at one point. But, according to the report, the video shows an employee removing an IV needle that is commonly placed in a vein prior to milking.

Mercy for Animals also alleged that workers twisted cows’ tails to deliberately inflict pain.

The detective’s report states that, according to a local vet, “lifting of the tail is an acceptable manner of moving cows.”

In an interview with the Leader Friday, Amy Stanton, an assistant professor and animal well-being specialist in the Department of Dairy Sciences at UW-Madison, said the actions shown in the video “are not routine management practices” and are not condoned.

She said the university offers a number of programs and resources aimed at providing “welfare-friendly” treatment of animals.

“Farmers in Wisconsin are interested in how to care for their animals to the best of their ability,” Stanton said.

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Campaign has raised about $750,000By: 

Jason Arndt, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Astronaut Jerry Ross autographs his book for 11-year-old Wyatt Brandt prior to Wolf River Lutheran High School’s fundraising event at The Gathering on Friday night.
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Karen Baker, left, secretary of the Wolf River Lutheran High School board of directors, thanks the audience for attending the school’s fundraiser Friday at The Gathering. Principal Caroline Bedroske is at right. The board hopes to build a new school in Shawano.

About 200 people turned out Friday to hear former astronaut Jerry Ross talk about his NASA career and to support a fundraising effort by Wolf River Lutheran High School for a new school.

The school earlier this year announced a campaign to build a new building, estimated to cost $1.3 million, on 25 acres the school owns at the intersection of state Highways 22 and 29 in Shawano.

The guests at The Gathering on Friday were told the fund drive, which launched just over a month ago, had already raised $750,000.

Ross, a cousin of Karen Baker, secretary of the school’s board of directors, shared stories of his successful launches, as well. He traveled into space seven times during his career.

In recent years, he has dedicated much of his time to helping youth.

“I think it is important to give kids alternatives in education,” Ross said. “I am especially supportive of giving kids an opportunity to be raised in a Christian environment. …

“I always thought my mission was to talk to young people and encouraging them to do what God intended them to do, by using their talents.”

Ross, 66, said it was the first time he had visited Shawano, which he said reminded him of his hometown in northwest Indiana.

He was born in Crown Point and left in 1972 after graduating from Purdue University with a commission in the Air Force and a master’s degree. He now lives in Houston, Texas.

“I grew up in the country, and it is a more like farm country,” Ross said. “It feels very comfortable.”

“I always enjoy getting north, especially at this time of the year,” he said. “I like the snap of the weather with the fall colors.”

Ross was invited to speak in Shawano to help create awareness of Wolf River Lutheran High School’s mission and its efforts to increase enrollment for the new school. Enrollment this year is about 14 students.

The proposed 18,000-square-foot building would consist of five classrooms, a gymnasium with two locker rooms, office space and other basic needs.

School officials say they’ve outgrown the former Cecil Elementary School, where the school moved in 2012 after holding classes at St. James Lutheran School in Shawano from 2004-11.

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He’s retiring after 29 years in law enforcementBy: 

Tim Ryan, [email protected]

Contributed Photo Capt. Jeff Heffernon and his wife, Deb, seen here on a recent vacation, will have even more leisure time to spend together with Heffernon’s announcement this week that he is retiring after 25 years with the Shawano Police Department

Jeff Heffernon wasn’t the kid in grade school who dreamed of growing up to be a cop.

In the seventh grade, after his parents bought him a police scanning radio, he remembers having some interest in law enforcement, but not enough yet to make it his chosen path.

“After high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Heffernon said.

What spurred his interest was that his brother’s friend was working at a retail store in loss prevention, or “busting shoplifters,” as he put it.

Heffernon, who is from Appleton, visited Fox Valley Technical College, where the decision to go into law enforcement was as simple, he said, as pulling a brochure on the police science course out of the kiosk.

“At the time, there was only one math course required,” he said. “I thought, ‘I could get through that.’”

Heffernon said it was the law class that sealed the deal for him.

“Looking at the concepts of the Constitution and breaking down laws by statute and the application to real life events; I was hooked from there on,” he said.

Heffernon started his law enforcement career with the Grand Chute Police Department in 1986, but by the end of the year he was hired at the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department, starting out as a jailer.

He went on to dispatch and patrol before being hired at the Shawano Police Department in 1989.

Heffernon announced his retirement this week. Officially it’s effective Jan. 10, but in the meantime Heffernon will be using vacation and compensatory time he has accrued.

He said he would be taking numerous memories with him.

“Everybody in law enforcement will tell you, when you start you should write a book and keep it going,” he said. “I didn’t, but I would advocate others to try and do that.”

Heffernon’s patrol experiences ranged from the farcical to the nearly deadly serious.

The farcical side included a visit to a fog-shrouded Victorian home in the city to trap a bat.

“While it didn’t rise to the level of a police call, in Shawano, Wisconsin we are all about service,” he said.

Heffernon was working with Randy Wright — now Shawano County Sheriff — at the time.

Wright was headed up a dark, enclosed stairway with a flashlight.

Heffernon had not yet gotten that far before the home-owner — a woman Heffernon said resembled Phyllis Diller in a flowing nightgown — let out a blood-curdling scream.

A bat had just flown past Heffernon’s head and was circling the chandelier above them.

Wright turned and tumbled down the stairs, along with the flashlight, which was now illuminating Heffernon, the woman and the chandelier as the bat circled.

“We laughed about that for years,” Heffernon said.

Wright and the flashlight were uninjured. The bat escaped through an open door.

A more potentially serious incident arose when Heffernon was still working with the sheriff’s department.

Heffernon and Sgt. Staber Cook were returning from a transport detail when they pulled over a suspected drunken driver in a pickup truck.

Cook approached the driver while Heffernon came around the passenger side and pointed his flashlight into the cab.

Just as he did that he saw a .44 Magnum pistol on the driver’s hip, with the driver’s hand sliding toward it.

“I yelled, ‘gun!’” said Heffernon, who drew his own gun at this point. “I thought, ‘if this guy touches his gun he’s going to get shot.’”

Cook grabbed the driver, who was then arrested for going armed while intoxicated and drunken driving.

“That was really close,” Heffernon said.

Heffernon has been on the administrative side of things for more than 10 years, but still misses being on patrol.

“The daily contact with citizens and the variety of calls that you go to,” he said. “Some of the most innocuous calls can be the most interesting.”

In 2001-2002, Heffernon served as school liaison officer.

“It was one of the most rewarding assignments I had in law enforcement,” he said.

But school liaison officers were pretty much in rotation at the time, Heffernon said, and there was no guarantee he’d have that duty the next year. So when there was an opening posted for lieutenant, he applied.

Heffernon simultaneously went on to finish his bachelor’s degree.

“I went at night with a mortgage and two kids and a wife who was working to help pay the bills,” he said.

The kid who didn’t dream of being a cop in grade school was by now working toward some day being chief of police.

“It was my goal for the better part of 25 years,” Heffernon said. “I did a lot toward that goal. It just didn’t work out.”

Heffernon applied for the job when former chief Ed Whealon retired in April, but the post ultimately went to Mark Kohl.

Heffernon said he never considered applying for chief anywhere else.

“Shawano is my home,” he said. “My wife and I really enjoy the community - everything from raising our kids here to participating in the barn quilt and helping out with that, being part of local board for Salvation Army. Just the people in town. I have no desire to go anywhere else.”

Heffernon also said he didn’t consider running for Shawano County sheriff.

“Not for a split second,” he said.

Law enforcement has gone through a lot of change in 25 years, particularly in technology; some of which Heffernon helped implement at the Shawano Police Department.

“The administrative team here at the police department really has done a lot of work on trying to stay current,” he said. “Everything is modernized, digitized, computerized.”

Heffernon, along with Lt. Brad Rabideau and school liaison officer Jody Johnson, have been instrumental over the past year in promoting the adoption of the ALICE program in area schools. ALICE is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate that provides options for school staff and students in responding to an active shooter.

“There is nothing more important that we’re doing in Shawano right now than the ongoing upgrading of the protection of our children,” Heffernon said.

Heffernon said the community plays an important part in the Police Department’s efforts.

He said it’s a relatively new thing that’s come into vogue in law enforcement, but it’s not new to Shawano.

“Shawano has been doing community policing since long before I arrived,” he said. “It becomes a team effort. Law enforcement without its citizens is completely and utterly ineffective.”

That team extends to local officials on the Common Council, committees and commissions he said.

“Being able to spend my administrative career interacting with a lot of those folks has almost always been a very positive experience,” he said. “Without all of them, the police could not do their job.”

Heffernon said he also wanted to thank “all of the officers that I had the proud pleasure to serve with.”

He said the fact that so many come to Shawano and spend their careers here is “a testament to the community.”

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By: 

Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent

With its public budget hearing set for Tuesday, city of Clintonville officials this week were still looking for ways to trim more than $180,000.

Interim City Administrator Chuck Kell told the Common Council’s finance committee earlier this week that, despite several budget cuts, the city still faces a deficit of $180,189 in the proposed 2015 budget.

Kell offered three ways the city could close the gap, including requiring employees to pay a larger portion of their health insurance costs.

Kell said another option was to impose an across-the-board budget cut to all departments. A 5 percent cut to all major departments, which would include the fire department, public works, park and recreation, general government and police department, would cut about $174,000, he said.

That move could involve cutting a staff person in the office and a police officer.

A third option, Kell said, was the closing of some city facilities.

Alderman Bill Zeinert suggested using money from the undesignated fund to balance the budget for the first part of the year, giving residents and department heads more time to come up with plans on where to make the cuts.

The current proposed budget includes a tax rate of $8.62 per $1,000 of equalized value, which is a 4-cent increase over last year.

The budget hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Clintonville Community Center, 30 S. Main St.

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By: 

Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent

Nominations are being sought for the Alumnus Honoris Award presented annually at the Clintonville High School commencement ceremony.

The award recognizes the accomplishments of graduates from Clintonville or Bear Creek high schools.

The nomination deadline is Feb. 1. Nominations, which must be written and signed by the nominator, are being accepted by Lance Bagstad, Clintonville High School principal.

Nominations also should include as much detail as possible about the qualifications and accomplishments of the nominee and the year he or she graduated. Nominees do not need to be living.

The award honors distinguished performance in an area of endeavor, whether it be professional, vocational, business or military. The scope of the achievement upon which the recognition is based is unlimited chronologically, but it should be state, national or worldwide in geographical area, and not limited to a single profession. Impact on those outside the nominee’s field carries significant importance in consideration for this award.

Nominations made more than three years ago need to be resubmitted.

The winner will be selected by a committee composed of Bagstad, two community representatives and two members of the high school faculty.

The winner receives a certificate and engraved miniature silver bowl, and the person’s name is engraved on a commemorative plaque displayed in the main entrance of the high school.

For more information, call the high school office at 715-823-7215.

The award was presented for the first time in 1956.

Past recipients include Dr. William Meggers, Max Stieg, Robert Gibson, Llewellyn Cole,Laurel Behnke, Dr. Rodney Dodge, Robert A.Olen, Walter C. Kirchner, Louis Malotky, Dr. Janet K. Schnorr, Dr. Janice Schnorr, Dr. Nancy Sell, Col. Robert Samz, Ronald H. Fillnow, Dr. Clarence Huffman, Dr. James Bard, Mrs. G.R. McCauley, Edward B. Miller, Roger Nass, Howard Bovee Jr., Ronald Kolpack, Robert Billings, Bishop Robert Morneau, Mary Beth Kuester, Dr. Kurt Marshek, M. Peter Pevonka, Harland H. Kirchner, David P. Steinbach, Lt. Col. Roy Hedtke, Richard Bennett, Sharon Anderson, Dr. David Graper, Dr. Karen s. Oberhauser, Dennis Glocke, Judith Magee, Dr. Dan Olk, John Stichman, Dr. Barbara Keller, William J. Harper, Dr. Dennis Crowe, Dr. Kathryn Zalewski, Dr. David D. Wisnefske, Dr. Paul Caskey, Dr. Robert Debenedetti, Dr. Michael Hoffman and Dr. David R. Schuler.

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By: 

Grace Kirchner, Leader Correspondent

Photo by Grace Kirchner The Ford dealership moved into its new location this week. The owners are, from left, Gary , Ryon and Ron Kautz. The new location will provide greater visibility for their business, the Kautzes said.

As of Monday, Clintonville Motors Inc, the Clintonville Ford dealership, has moved into its new 20,000 square-foot facility at 670 S. Main St., just south of Fleet Farm on U.S. Highway 45 south.

The dealership owned by Ron, Gary and Ryon Kautz was located at 27 W. 12th St. for more than 72 years before the Kautzes decided they had outgrown that location.

While many Ford dealerships in the area have closed, Clintonville Motors is now the largest Ford dealer in Waupaca and Shawano counties.

Area residents are invited to visit the new facilities. A ribbon cutting will be held at a later date. Ron Kautz said they still have a few things to take care of as they make the move.

At this time there are no plans for the 12th Street location. It is for sale, Ron Kautz said.

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The Wolf River Builders Association will hold its inaugural Parade of Homes on Oct. 3 and 4.

This event is an opportunity for builders and associate members to display new techniques, products and services in a home environment. It is open to new and remodeled homes, and it will also feature landscaping.

“It’s a great marketing opportunity for businesses that are related to the building industry to get involved and showcase their special services that they provide the home industry,” said Mary Huntington, WRBA Parade of Homes chairperson.

More information will follow in late November on the event and how to participate.

WRBA also hosts a Home & Cottage Show each year at the Crawford Center in Shawano. Next year’s dates are April 11-12.

Representing parts of Oconto, Menominee and Shawano counties, WRBA is extremely active in the community, providing youth scholarships, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofit organizations, hosting educational workshops and more.

Currently, the association is seeking new members as well. If you have a business relating to the building industry and would like to join the WRBA as a contractor or associate member, contact the association at 715-853-2310 or [email protected].

Membership in WRBA includes membership in the Wisconsin Builders Association and also the National Association of Home Builders.

For more information, visit the group’s website at www.wolfriverbuilders.com.

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Shawano Police Department

Nov. 13

Police logged 21 incidents, including the following:

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance between two students at the bus stop at Shawano Community Middle School, 1050 S. Union St.

Juvenile — Police logged seven truancy complaints from Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B.

Suspicious — Police responded to a suspicious person complaint in the 200 block of East Richmond Street.

Vandalism — A vehicle was reported egged in the 600 block of East Division Street.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Nov. 13

Deputies logged 61 incidents, including the following:

Theft — A For Rent sign was reported stolen on Lake Drive in Wescott.

Juvenile — Seven truancy citations were issued to a juvenile and his parent after referrals from the Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District.

Trespass — Authorities responded to a trespassing complaint on Swamp Road in Pella.

Harassment — Authorities responded to a harassment complaint on Tower Road in the town of Grant.

Fraud — Authorities investigated a telephone scam complaint on County Road Y in Belle Plaine.

Disturbance — A charge of disorderly conduct was referred against a 26-year-old Keshena man after a domestic disturbance on Wall Street in Bowler.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance on Country Lane in the town of Washington.

Accidents — Authorities logged an injury accident in Green Valley and six deer-related crashes.

Clintonville Police Department

Nov. 13

Police logged 10 incidents, including the following:

Disorderly — Police responded to two disorderly conduct complaints at the middle school.

Accident — A two-vehicle injury accident was reported on West Green Tree Road at South Main Street. Ambulance was dispatched to the scene.

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Public does not know full story, they sayBy: 

Tim Ryan, [email protected]

Shawano city and county authorities have been taking some heat on social media pages over the past week for a Halloween drug enforcement operation that resulted in one publicly known bust for a $10 marijuana buy.

But Shawano police and the county sheriff’s office say they will just have to ride out the frustration of not being able to share more about the operation that the public doesn’t know.

“There’s a perception out there, there’s some question, and we can’t answer it,” Police Chief Mark Kohl said.

“What we see is a lot of the proactive, very supportive, community-minded law enforcement people are frustrated we didn’t respond to a lot of these social media opinions, outcries and things like that,” he said. “They want us to defend ourselves.”

But, Kohl said, the full story of the operation, what it might have uncovered and what potential leads might have been turned up, can’t be shared.

“It may jeopardize our investigation,” he said.

The bust was part of an organized “bar crafting” operation at area taverns aimed at ferreting out suspected drug activity.

The operation was organized by Shawano police, working with the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department and officers from the Stockbridge-Munsee, Bonduel and Gillett police departments.

“I don’t think it takes any stretch of the imagination to say if there were five agencies working together, there was a little more involved than a $10 sale,” Sheriff’s Department Detective Sgt. Gordon Kowaleski said.

Authorities have not said publicly whether any other arrests were made as part of the operation or the circumstances that led to charges being filed in the one arrest that’s known.

“If we made any mention of how and why we did that, these guys would say, ‘Hey, I just read that in the paper,’” Kohl said. “It would be foolish.”

Sheriff’s Capt. Tom Tuma said drug cases are usually not isolated incidents and can be linked to other crimes.

“What people perceive isn’t happening in a vacuum,” he said “There are more and bigger crimes associated with it, and this is what we find as we unravel the ball of yarn.”

Kohl, Tuma and Kowaleski sat down with the Leader on Thursday to discuss drug enforcement operations in general, but declined to discuss any specifics of the Oct. 31 operation.

“Any investigation, you don’t start out at the top, with your top suspect and you’re done,” Kowaleski said. “You always go through the building blocks of putting the case together or investigation. You’ve got to start somewhere and there are times where, yeah, we start with a $10 buy.”

Kowaleski said law enforcement follows the chain up the ladder from there.

“Our ultimate goal is the person at the top supplying the large quantities and the harder drugs like the heroin and bath salts,” he said. “We have to have a starting point somewhere. That’s not to say every case is like that, but certainly this is one of them.”

Kohl said such operations usually pay off in ways the public doesn’t see connecting with local operations.

“Six months, a year down the road, you see that the DEA made a huge bust in Milwaukee or the Twin Cities, something like that. As a matter of fact, it may have originated from us here,” Kohl said. “We work with other agencies, we collaborate. There are agencies prepared to take our little piece of the puzzle and carry it out.”

Tuma said big drug busts don’t generally occur without the groundwork of smaller cases coming first. That’s largely because drug users are buying in small quantities and using them up as fast as they purchase them, forcing law enforcement to act fast.

“So when you get intel, you’re moving,” he said.

Tuma said the general public doesn’t always see the larger picture of small busts.

“Any one piece may not mean anything, but if you start to get enough of them, pretty soon you can recognize what that puzzle looks like,” he said.

Kohl said multiple agencies are involved in these operations because the crimes often cross jurisdictional lines and because city police don’t have sufficient resources.

“We do not have the personnel, the expertise or the unique qualifications needed for drug investigations,” he said. “We have officers that have been trained, and will continue to be trained, and that have special skills when it comes to that.

“But we need to collaborate with other agencies. We work very well with the Shawano County sheriff and (state) Department of Criminal Investigations. We can use those agencies to fill in those gaps.”

Tuma said there is ongoing collaboration and sharing of information between the departments.

“I can assure you there is frequent communication across jurisdictional lines,” he said.

Kowaleski said the public is often unaware of what it takes to carry out a drug enforcement operation.

“It’s not one or two officers going out,” he said. “You have two to four officers monitoring. You might have another two to four providing security, making sure if things really do go bad fast we’ve got the people there. Neither (the police) nor us can afford to take six people and put them out at one time on one night.”

There was no estimate on what the Halloween operation cost.

The city of Shawano last year started budgeting an additional $25,000 for police department drug enforcement efforts.

Sheriff’s department costs have depended on whether staff involved were on overtime.

“A lot of time our guys will move their hours around so we’re on shift and not paying overtime,” Kowaleski said. “That way it isn’t killing any one agency’s budget.”

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