Green Bay News

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (AP) – A SkyWest airlines flight to Connecticut was diverted, descended steeply and made an emergency landing in New York on Wednesday after three passengers lost consciousness.

The flight, carrying 75 passengers, departed from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago and had been bound for Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. It landed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo at about 11:40 a.m.

A SkyWest spokeswoman initially reported that one passenger aboard Flight 5622, operating as United Express, lost consciousness and the pilots rapidly descended “out of an abundance of caution.”

But in a later statement, SkyWest spokeswoman Marissa Snow said new information from medical personnel confirmed that “a total of three passengers reported a loss of consciousness while on the flight.”

For nearly eight minutes, the plane descended at a very steep incline, dropping as fast as 7,000 feet per minute, flight tracking service FlightAware said.

SkyWest Inc., which is based in St. George, Utah, earlier had said the jet landed safely and a passenger received medical attention before being released.

An additional 15 adults and two children were evaluated upon landing, but none required treatment outside the airport, airport spokesman C. Douglas Hartmayer said.

“Anyone who said they didn’t feel well was treated at the gate,” he said.

In an earlier statement, Snow said in an email: “There were no reports before the unconscious passenger prior to the initiated descent, but I can’t speak to what may have been the specific cause of their feeling ill.”

“The passengers were evaluated by medical responders on the ground in Buffalo and were released; none were transported to the hospital,” Snow said.

The airline said it was making plans to transport the passengers to Hartford, Connecticut.

The Federal Aviation Administration said initial information indicated the Embraer E170 jet may have had a pressurization problem, but that turned out to be incorrect.

Snow said the plane’s oxygen masks did not release.

“After examination by maintenance personnel and local authorities, there have been no indications of a pressurization problem or other issues with the aircraft,” Snow said. “Our investigation is ongoing.”

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Billy Hamilton dashed home on a two-out wild pitch in the ninth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat Milwaukee 2-1 Wednesday night, the Brewers’ seventh straight loss.

Hamilton scored both runs for Cincinnati, which won its third straight game against Milwaukee after enduring a 1-6 stretch. The Brewers have the worst record in the majors at 2-13.

Johnny Cueto (1-2) gave up five hits and struck out eight in eight innings, winning his fifth decision in a row against Milwaukee. Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his fourth save.

Hamilton, who earlier stole his majors-leading ninth base, drew a one-out walk in the ninth from Francisco Rodriguez (0-2). Hamilton took third on a single by Joey Votto and scored standing up on a pitch that bounced in the dirt and off the chest protector of catcher Martin Maldonado.

The ball skipped to Maldonado’s right and he quickly retrieved it. Maldonado threw to Rodriguez, who tried to make a diving tag, but Hamilton zipped past him before nearly running over plate umpire Sean Barber.

Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson did all he could to snap the skid, allowing just three hits and an earned run while striking out five in eight innings.

In the Brewers eighth, pinch hitter Logan Schafer led off with a double and took third on a sacrifice bunt by Elian Herrera. But Cueto struck out Elian Herrera, walked Ryan Braun and struck out Adam Lind to end the threat.

Nelson allowed singles to the first two batters he faced. Hamilton led off with a hit, stole second and scored on Votto’s single.

Milwaukee got the run back in the bottom half when Herrera walked and scored on a single by Lind.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: Pitcher Homer Bailey makes his second start of the season Thursday after surgery in September to repair the torn flexor tendon in his right forearm.

Brewers: Milwaukee has three starters on the disabled list. 2B Scooter Gennett was placed on the DL Tuesday, joining CF Carlos Gomez and C Jonathan Lucroy.

UP NEXT

Reds: Bailey (0-1) allowed five earned runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings in a 5-2 loss at St. Louis on Saturday.

Brewers: Kyle Lohse (0-3) is 7-5 with a 2.69 ERA in 20 career starts against Cincinnati.

DE PERE – A senior advisor to the NFL visited St. Norbert today, and discussed domestic violence as it relates to the league.

Beth Richie is a professor of gender studies and criminal law at the University of Illinois, Chicago. She is also director of the Institute of Research on Race and Public Policy.

Richie held a dialogue about violence with feminist scholar bell hooks at St. Norbert College in De Pere Wednesday.

“What’s the role and responsibility of major social institutions of taking on the problem of violence against women and children?” she asked during an interview with FOX 11.

She told us the NFL is one of those institutions.

As an advisor to the league, Richie has seen a lot in the last year as high profile cases of domestic violence made headlines. She said that’s prompted changes at all levels.

“People who work in the stadiums, the players, the cheerleaders, their family members. I mean, really comprehensive training of all people are part of the NFL family,” Richie explained.

“The NFL has let slide by many things, especially with former players and what have you. So I definitely believe it’s a problem that finally they’re starting to take steps toward solving it,” said Kahlo Vue a sophomore St. Norbert College.

Richie told FOX 11 she’s hopeful the league will stick to the changes it’s making.

“We’re facing the draft, right? So it’s a wonderful time for the NFL to really stand firm on its commitment to not tolerate violence against women and children,” she said.

Students told us Ritchie is in an ideal position to discuss domestic violence.

“Bringing it in with football makes is much more accessible for people to think about, ‘okay, this is not just about the one or two women who are battered in their home. This is women everywhere this is affecting,” explained St. Norbert senior Elizabeth Schmitt.

“This is not simply a women’s issue. This is a men’s issue. This is a human issue that we all deal with,” added Vue.

Ritchie also said it’s not only women who are victims. She said change won’t come just from stopping individual instances of violence, but from a societal shift.

“Violence is prevalent and it’s condoned and it’s kept silent until there’s a major crisis and it comes to public awareness,” said Richie.

bell hooks, who held the discussion with Richie, is at St. Norbert all week. Wednesday afternoon’s dialogue was her last public event here.

The peak of the yearly Lyrid meteor shower is expected tonight between 10:30 p.m. and about 5:00 a.m.

The most activity should be around 3:00 a.m.to 4:00 a.m. with a frequency of between 10 and 20 meteors per hour. We have lots of clouds around the area now, but we will start to see some clearing, especially late tonight.

Meteor showers are usually named for the area of the sky that they originate from. This shower originates from the constellation Lyra and from near the star Vega.

The meteor shower is caused by bits of debris that is left from an old comet path that crosses the orbital path of Earth. Meteor showers will radiate out from a central point where the debris hits the atmosphere at about 110,000 mph.

The bits of comet dust are roughly the size of a grain of sand and vaporize as they attempt to enter the atmosphere. This particular shower is caused by the comet Thatcher that has a 415 year orbit around the sun.

It last entered the inner solar system in 1861 and won’t return until the year 2276. The constellation Lyra will appear in the northeast horizon after sunset and be virtually overhead around 4:00 a.m..

The clouds should begin to slowly break up after midnight in case you would like to take a look. The meteor shower will continue tomorrow night also, just with a little less frequent meteor activity.

Watch live streaming video of the Golden Apple Awards ceremony at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Ashwaubenon.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) – The Calbuco volcano erupted Wednesday for the first time in more than 42 years, billowing a huge ash cloud over a sparsely populated, mountainous area in southern Chile.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of the 1,500 inhabitants of the nearby town of Ensenada, along with residents of two smaller communities.

The National Mining and Geology Service issued a high alert, barring access to the area around the volcano, which lies near the cities of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt, a little more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Chile’s capital, Santiago.

“For us it was a surprise,” said Alejandro Verges, regional emergency director of the Los Lagos region where the eruption took place. He said Calbuco wasn’t under any special form of observation.

Authorities said a large amount of ash was observed but no hot rocks or lava had been seen by late in the day.

The Education Ministry canceled school in communities near the volcano and at least three flights to Puerto Montt were canceled.

The 6,500 foot (2,000-meter) Calbuco last erupted in 1972 and is considered one of the top three most potentially dangerous among Chile’s 90 active volcanos.

Villarica, one of South America’s most active volcanos, erupted in southern Chile last month, spewing heavy smoke into the air as lava surged down its slopes and forcing authorities to evacuate thousands of people. The 9,000 foot (2,847-meter) volcano sits above the small city of Pucon. Tourists flock there for outdoor activities, including hiking around the volcano.

“This is clearly a much larger eruption than the one we saw with the Villarica some weeks ago and therefore we need to take bigger and faster measures,” Interior and Security Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said.

He said that the government was sending water in case resources get contaminated by ash and that police and military officers had been deployed to ensure safety and help with evacuations.

GRAND CHUTE – A Fox Valley company is building a new corporate headquarters and plans to add jobs.

With Governor Scott Walker on hand, Werner Electric Supply held a ground breaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon in Grand Chute.

The company says it has outgrown its current building in Neenah.

Werner plans to add 100 jobs over the next five years. The company currently employs 350 people throughout Wisconsin and the U.P.

The new $21 million building should be open next summer.

GRAND CHUTE – At a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon in Grand Chute, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said his focus remains on the state’s next two-year budget.

He was back in Wisconsin following stops in New Hampshire, New York and Iowa since Saturday. Walker said again that his official decision about a 2016 White House run will come after the state budget process is finished, likely in June.

State Democrats point to new poll numbers that show the governor’s approval rating has dropped. Walker pointed out that his approval numbers also fell during other debates over contentious issues. He believes he’ll get more support when this budget process ends.

On a national level, Walker continues to ride momentum of positive reactions from Republicans.

“We’re getting good feedback across the country,” said Walker. “Certainly people want leaders who both fight and win for hardworking taxpayers. It’s what we’ve done time and time again here in Wisconsin.”

In Wisconsin, a new poll from the St. Norbert College Strategic Research Institute shows the governor’s approval rating dropped to 41 percent – down seven points since last fall and 18 points since last spring.

• Click here to read the full poll results

Walker expects to gain support back after the budget is passed.

“I think what typically happens every two years for me and for other governors is that you all in the media, appropriately so, look at the things that are being debated which are usually the handful of things that people have concerns about in the budget, and it’s not until June when the full budget is completed,” said Walker. “I think people will see that we’re going to have another good budget.”

Walker’s budget may get a boost after new tax collection forecasts come out in early May. He isn’t expecting a lot of additional revenue, but says he’ll work with lawmakers to put any extra money toward K-12 schools.

State Democrats agree with the governor and say his budget proposal led to the approval rating drop.

“It’s not just that they’re opposed to Walker and his performance individually, they’re overwhelmingly opposed to the policies that he’s promoting as he’s all around the country running for president,” said Melissa Baldauff, WisDems Communications Director.

The governor says he’s proven three times in four years, he can balance campaigning and managing the state’s business. He’s not speeding up his official decision on a 2016 run.

“I’m focused on the state budget,” he said. “I won’t make any decision until after the budget is completed which presumably, if it falls on the normal track, will be sometime in June.”

Walker isn’t staying in the state long. He plans to travel to Minnesota Thursday to meet with Republican lawmakers. He’s also scheduled to be back in Iowa this weekend.

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio have already entered the presidential race. The GOP field is expected to grow to nearly 20 presidential hopefuls.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the only major Democrat who has formally announced a campaign.

The first caucuses and presidential primaries are still nine months away.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Frail and tired of leading a secret life for four decades, 66-year-old Clarence David Moore called police this week to surrender. The deputy who answered thought it was a prank. It wasn’t.

Moore escaped from police custody three times during the 1970s and eventually settled into a quiet life, living in Kentucky since at least 2009. His health is poor from a stroke late last year and he has difficulty speaking.

When Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton showed up at Moore’s house to make the “arrest,” Moore was in a hospital bed. He broke down in tears. He told the sheriff he needed medical help.

“He looks like he’s almost 90,” the sheriff said.

A woman who had been living with Moore had no idea of his past. “She was just blown away when all this happened,” the sheriff said.

On Wednesday, a woman who answered the door at the single-story ranch home declined comment. The modest neighborhood on the outskirts of the state’s capital was dotted with brick homes with well-tended yards. Two sport-utility vehicles were parked in the driveway.

This combination of photos shows at left an undated police booking photo of Clarence David Moore and at right a booking photo of Moore taken on Tuesday, April 21, 2015. Moore, who spent decades as a fugitive after escaping custody in North Carolina, turned himself in to authorities on Monday, April 20, 2015. According to media reports, Moore escaped in the 1970s from North Carolina, where he was in custody for a larceny conviction. (North Carolina Department Of Public Safety, left, Franklin County Regional Jail via AP)

Moore was convicted of larceny of more than $200 in North Carolina in 1967 and was sentenced to up to seven years in prison, according to records from the Department of Public Safety. While working with a road crew in the Asheville area, he escaped and was recaptured in 1971. He escaped again the following year and was on the lam until he was apprehended in Texas in 1975. His third escape from a Henderson County prison was Aug. 6, 1976.

On Monday, after he called police, he was taken from his home by ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation and then to jail, where he remained in custody Wednesday.

“As soon as he saw us, he started crying,” Melton said Wednesday. “He said, ‘I just want to get this behind me. I want to be done.'”

Moore has declined requests for interviews.

Melton said he knew little about Moore’s life before arriving in Kentucky, other than Moore spent time working on boats along the East Coast.

Neighbor Jim Clark, a former correctional officer, said he knew Moore by an alias. He was an attentive neighbor who would collect the Clarks mail for them when they went on vacation and let them know if they had left their garage door open at night.

“He was a nice neighbor. He was a very compassionate person. He didn’t have any hatred in his heart toward anyone,” Clark said.

Moore had lived in Frankfort since at least 2009, when he was involved in a traffic crash, Melton said. Moore was cited then for not having a driver’s license. He didn’t appear for his court date and was charged with contempt.

He went by the name of Ronnie T. Dickinson in that case, and has used other aliases.

Neighbor Richard Colyer said he knew Moore as Ronnie Dickinson. He said Moore was a private man who moved into the neighborhood three to four years ago. Sometimes Moore would sit on his front porch and wait for the mail.

The sheriff said he thought Moore’s poor health factored into his decision to turn himself in. As he arrived at the jail, Moore thanked the sheriff for his kindness.

“He made some bad choices, but at the end of the day he wanted to make them right and he stepped up,” Melton said.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Biesecker in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

OCONTO – A new 70-acre wetlands preserve will soon be open in Oconto.

The preserve is located within city limits, near the high school on the north-east side.

A state program helps buy land in projects like this, but that project may be up for cuts in the upcoming budget.

Layout of the Oconto Preserve (Image source: Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust)

At the corner of Franklin Street and Jones Avenue sits the future home of what’s being called the Oconto Preserve.

The non-profit group Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust closed the deal two weeks ago.

“We see this purchase and this preserve as an asset for the community that will be here for generations to come,” said Deb Nett, Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust Executive Director.

Nett says the $150,000 project was paid for through donations and a grant from the state.

That grant came from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.

The upcoming state budget proposes a freeze on future land purchases through 2028.

“We are doing a bit of advocacy to let our legislators know that projects like this are helping,” said Nett.

Republican State Representative Jeff Mursau of Crivitz says the stewardship program is a priority, but buying more land may not be the way to go.

“What I support is a tightening up on the money. And making sure that purchases that are made are very important. Very needed in the communities that they’re being done,” said State Representative Jeff Mursau, (R) Crivitz.

Meanwhile, plans for the Oconto preserve, are moving forward.

“To the city, to local conservation groups, to the local high school, and local folks to see and learn what they want us to make out of this project,” said Nett.

Local leaders say the preserve will be good for the city.

“This is the way we grow here. Bringing in new people so that they’re able, maybe they’ve never been to Oconto before. Now they’re going to have a wonderful preserve to come to Oconto,” said Victoria Bostedt, Oconto Mayor.

The preserve is expected to be open within a year.

This is the 50th project for the Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust.

In its 19-year history the group has preserved more than 5,000 acres of wetlands in the area.

OCONTO – An Oconto truck driver faces 13 charges for allegedly sexually assaulting multiple children when they took road trips with him.

Rodney Enneper, 45, allegedly took five different children on trips in his truck. They were approved as passengers by Enneper’s employer, according to the criminal complaint. It then describes a variety of sexual assaults during a course of several years.

The complaint does not indicate how Enneper knew the victims.

Enneper made an initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon, where bond was set at $250,000 cash. He returns to court Friday.

If convicted on all counts, Enneper faces up to 520 years in prison.

MADISON – A legislative perk costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars a year could be coming to an end, after FOX 11 Investigates raised questions related the state’s sick leave program for lawmakers.

Under the program, lawmakers, like other state employees, can bank the sick days they don’t use. When they retire, they can convert those unused sick days to pay for health insurance.

A new bill being circulated in Madison would prevent legislators from stockpiling unused sick days.

It’s a little known benefit that even some lawmakers didn’t know much about.

“When I first heard about this several years ago I was sort of shocked that it even existed,” said State Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Allouez, last year when FOX 11 Investigates first highlighted the program.

FOX 11 Investigates found lawmakers hardly use any sick days. In 2014, lawmakers earned a total of 11,106 hours of sick time, but only claimed 64 hours.So the sick leave balances just keep getting bigger.

Cowles tried unsuccessfully to get rid of the program in 2007. After FOX 11 Investigates started asking questions about the program last year, he promised to try again.

Now, Cowles is co-sponsoring a bill to eliminate the benefit, along with State Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard.

“I think it’s a scam on the taxpayers and I think it’s about time we do away with it,” said Steffen.

Steffen was a candidate for the state Assembly when he saw the original FOX 11 Investigates story on television. Check out the original FOX 11 Investigates story here.

“Without your work on this Robert (Hornacek), you and WLUK, this issue would not be coming forward before the state Assembly,” said Steffen.

Steffen says he spent more than three months researching the issue and found only five other states that offer similar benefits for legislators.

The estimated value of the sick leave program for current legislators is $2,411,600. That’s an average of $18,300 for every state lawmaker.

The direct cost to taxpayers each year is $80,700.

In 2014, the total value of the sick leave balances for retired legislators was $3,525,900.

Retired legislators used their sick leave credits to buy $367,300 worth of health insurance.

“At the end of the day, this is about trying to protect the taxpayer,” said Steffen. “This is a clearly unknown benefit to the public and I think it’s about time we turn off the spigot.”

The bill, as currently drafted, would only eliminate the benefit in the future. Lawmakers would not lose their existing sick leave balances.

Steffen is looking for bill co-sponsors and says he hopes the full Assembly will take up the legislation in the next two months.

MANITOWOC – The man forcibly arrested for trespassing at the cemetery where a slain state trooper’s funeral was being held pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Michael Mangan waived a preliminary hearing and then entered the not guilty plea, according to the Manitowoc County Clerk of Courts office.

No trial date was set.

He faces four charges, including resisting an officer and disorderly conduct at a funeral.

Police saw Mangan walking through the cemetery – which was closed to the public – just before the cemetery for Trooper Trevor Casper on March 30. Concerned about an object he was carrying, officers approached Mangan.

Authorities say Mangan refused to leave the cemetery grounds and physically resisted officers’ attempts to escort him from the property. He was taken to the ground, and carried into a squad car. According to the complaint, that’s when one of the officers suffered neck and back injuries.

GREEN BAY – The Bears-Packers game scheduled for Thanksgiving night means an annual holiday tradition at Lambeau Field will have to find a new home.

For more than a decade, Christian Outreach Ecumenical Ministry put on a free, Thanksgiving dinner inside the stadium atrium. The community meal’s origins date back even farther to the 1980’s.

“It was at two different sites, then it was at nativity, and we got too big at Nativity (Parish in Ashwaubenon), so then the Packers stepped up and said, ‘Hey, use this beautiful place,'” said Jessica Zeitler, the president of the group.

But with the Packers set to host the Chicago Bears, hosting a meal serving hundreds of people – amidst tens of thousands of fans – is not in the cards.

“We’ve been thinking about it, but hoping it never happened – but, yay, it did. But nuts it did,” said Zeitler.

Zeitler says the location and employees are great, but knew a home game would sideline the meal.

“It’s always a possibility and that’s what we were told from the beginning. But, it’s a good and bad thing. As the team has been consistently good, we knew that the possibility was probably getting greater and greater.”

The game now has Zeitler and organizers on the hunt for a new location that can accommodate upwards of one-thousand dinner guests.

“It’s all a new thing for us, but we’re positive that it will happen, no matter what. We will not not have it.

Zeitler says her group and the Packers will meet early next month to discuss options to ensure the meal continues. On a positive side, Zeitler says the change in venue will give the group the ability to be more creative organizing with the meal.

A Packers spokesperson says the team is committed to continuing to support the group and the thanksgiving meal, putting its support behind the annual event.

GREEN BAY – A former pastor was convicted Wednesday of multiple sexual assault charges involving children.

Jerry Fletcher Jr. will be sentenced June 16, according to online court records.

Fletcher pleaded no contest to:

• two counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child
• second-degree sexual assault
• child enticement
• child exploitation

Fletcher was a minister at Crossover Ministries in Black Creek. Prosecutors said Fletcher admitted to investigators he had sex several times with a 14-year-old girl. Prosecutors later added more charges with another victim.

(SBG) In the 34 years since John Hinckley Jr. tried to kill president Ronald Reagan, his life has been under a constant microscope. Is he cured? As his team of lawyers and doctors suggest, or is he, still a danger?

While his brother and sister who testified Wednesday wouldn’t comment, Hinckley’s lawyer argued that treatment at St. Elizabeth’s hospital has worked, and “there’s been no dispute that in that period of time, there’s been not a hint of violent behavior.”

While spending time with his  mother in Williamson 17 days a month, they say he volunteers at a church, paints & composes music, even has a girlfriend he met through the national association for the mentally ill.

Much of the arguing today, about finances, could the Hinckley family afford to support him for the rest of his life if he were released, especially considering they’re currently paying between $5-$10,000 a month in doctors’ bills.

Hinckley sat quietly and expressionless as government attorneys argued the hospital’s plan isn’t safe and outlined deviant conduct over the years, alleging he secretly collected photographs of a unnamed celebrity, wrote letters to Ted Bundy and Charles Manson, and sometimes lied about where he went while out by himself.

If Hinckley is allowed to leave the hospital full time, the government wants a long list of 35 stipulations & restrictions that cover how he’d be monitored and how often he’d have to see a doctor.

The hearings are expected to last for several days.

 

APPLETON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker says new tax collection forecasts coming out in May will not provide a windfall, but any additional revenue should first be directed to help K-12 schools.

Walker commented Wednesday in Appleton.

The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau is expected to release new revenue projections the week of May 4. Positive projections will give the Legislature more money to spend or reduce cuts as it works on the state budget.

Walker says he does not think there will be a “huge amount” of additional money. But he says the priority will be filling a $127 million cut in funding to public schools he proposed in the first year of the budget.

He says other priorities are roads and reducing his $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin.

ALLOUEZ – There’s a new leader in the village of Allouez.

On Tuesday, the village board appointed Randy Gast as the new village president, effective immediately. He replaces Steve Vanden Avond, who took a job in another state.

Gast, a nine-year veteran of the village board, will serve out the remainder of Vanden Avond’s term.

MADISON (AP) – Wisconsin Republican legislative leaders and the president of the Milwaukee Bucks say they had a productive meeting to discuss ways to pay for a new stadium for the team, but no deal has been reached.

Another meeting is set for Thursday.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says no ideas were brought up in Wednesday’s 90-minute meeting that haven’t been talked about before to pay for the $500 million stadium. It’s part of a larger $1 billion planned entertainment district.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos called the meeting productive. He says any financing plan will remain a part of the state budget.

Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin called the meeting positive and collaborative.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says everyone in the meeting was operating in good faith.

GREEN BAY – A former food service worker at the Green Bay Correctional Institution has been charged with sexually assaulting an inmate and trying to deliver drugs to another prisoner.

Gayle Saldaris, 52, faces four counts: three counts of second-degree sexual assault by a correctional staff member, and one count of delivering illegal articles to an inmate.

Saldaris made an initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon. Bond was set at $5,000 cash. A preliminary hearing is set for next month. She was charged previously with the drug count, with the sexual assault charges added Wednesday.

According to the complaint, inmates told authorities Saldaris had sexual relationships with at least two inmates. Also, she allegedly tried to have a third party deliver drugs to yet another inmate.

According to the Department of Corrections spokesperson Joy Staab, Saldaris worked as a ‘food service leader 2′ from April 7 to July 22, 2014, when she was terminated during her original probational period.

“The Department of Corrections takes all allegations of misconduct by staff seriously. Specifically, inmates have the ability to confidentially report allegations of sexual misconduct by staff through DOC policy and in accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). All allegations are investigated internally and when appropriate referred to outside law enforcement. The department has a zero-tolerance standard regarding sexual contact, sexual assault and sexual harassment of offenders,” Staab said in a statement to Fox 11.

Fox 11’s Ben Krumholz was in court today and will have more on Fox 11 News at Nine.