Richland County Sheriff's Office

Charges Pending in Battery and False Imprisonment Case

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arrestedOn 2/22/2015 the Sheriff’s Department Communications Center received a 911 call at 8:33am stating a female had been held against her will overnight and was a victim of a battery. The female escaped in the early morning and fled to a family residence to call for help. Richland County Sheriff Deputies responded and met with the victim. The victim had suffered several physical injuries and was taken by private vehicle to the hospital. Richland County Sheriff Deputies went to the location of the incident and searched for the suspect. The suspect was located hiding in the home and was taken into custody. The subject also has an active arrest warrant out of Illinois.

Vince Zaccone of Chicago, IL was arrested and charged in the incident.

The incident remains under investigation.

Texting While Driving is Against the Law

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Since November 2012, using a cell phone while driving is against the law in Wisconsin for any driver with a probationary license or instruction permit. A previously enacted state law made texting while driving illegal for ALL motorists.

The number one distraction or most alarming distraction is text messaging. Text messaging utilizes visual, manual, and cognitive attention which distracts the driver. Imagine five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When you’re driving at 55 mph, that is enough time to drive the length of a football field blindfolded.

This message goes out to adults as well as teens. We need to reinforce the old adage “Eyes on the Road”.

Sheriff Jim Bindl

Charges Filed in Drug Case

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Richland Center Police Chief John Annear and Richland County Sheriff Jim Bindl report that charges have been filed by the Richland County District Attorney’s Office on three subjects stemming from multiple investigations conducted by the Richland-Iowa-Grant Drug Task Force.

William S. Johnson, 25, of Richland Center was charged with one count of Delivery of a schedule I drug, a class E felony.

Austin J. Von Behren, 22, of Hillpoint was charged with one count of Manufacture/Deliver Non-Narcotics, a class H felony, as well as four counts of misdemeanor Bail Jumping.

Derek M. Pederson, 27, of Boscobel was charged with two counts of Falsely Presenting a Non-Controlled (as a controlled substance), a class I felony. [Read more…]

Woman Charged with Faking Cancer

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StrubAs a result of a joint criminal investigation conducted by the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Spring Green Police Department, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation, Theresa S. Strub, age 29, from Spring Green has been charged with nine felonies and one misdemeanor for “faking” cancer.

The investigation alleges that Strub was the beneficiary of thousands of dollars that was raised through fundraisers, charitable organizations, and personal donations to assist her with cancer treatments and personal finances. The investigation alleges Strub “faked” her illness. Strub also used social media websites to raise money for herself, claiming she was diagnosed with stage 2 stomach cancer and kidney cancer.

Strub used the social media to post photos of internal organs infected with cancer, indentifying the pictures as being hers. Strub told investigators the photos were taken on February 18, 2014. The photos included pictures of a kidney, stomach, and liver. The photos were found to be stock photos from Wikipedia.com and ultrasoundimages.com. Some photos being taken as far back as 1999. [Read more…]

Click It or Ticket

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ClickItOrTicket

Law Enforcement will mobilize along with hundreds of other law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin for the annual Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement campaign from May 19 to June 1.

Law Enforcement officers will be on the lookout day and night for unbuckled motorists. If you’re not wearing a safety belt, they will stop your vehicle and you will get a ticket.  During the Click It or Ticket mobilization and throughout the year, law enforcement will stringently enforce Wisconsin’s mandatory safety belt law. Through enforcement and education, we’re striving to get people to buckle up every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.

In Wisconsin, approximately one out of five motorists does not buckle up, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. More than half of the drivers and passengers killed in Wisconsin traffic crashes in 2013 were not wearing safety belts. Last year, there were more than 70,000 convictions for failure to fasten a seat belt.

Consistent safety belt use is the most effective protection against being ejected from a vehicle during a crash or thrown around violently inside it and possibly hitting another person in the vehicle with massive force. Law Enforcement officers are serious about safety belt enforcement because we’re determined to reach the goal of zero preventable traffic deaths in Wisconsin.

Motorcycle operator injured after striking a deer in Westford Township

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5/25/14   2:59AM – Block was operating a 2009 Harley Davidson traveling northbound on CTH II approximately 0.3 mile north of Corwin Ridge Rd. Block’s motorcycle strikes a deer and he is thrown from it. Anthony A. Block, 33, of Cazenovia,  was not wearing a helmet and suffers injuries to face, head, and chest. Block was transported by Cazenovia EMS to the Richland Hospital and then by Medflight to UW Hospital in Madison.

Cazenovia Fire and EMS assisted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at the scene.

One car crash resulting in a fatality

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On 05/24/2014, shortly after 8 PM, Richland County 911 received a report of a single vehicle crash on Excelsior Rd west of CTH F. Upon arrival, a 2003 Ford Ranger was seen resting down a steep embankment. First responders did have to use ropes and basket to rescue the driver. The driver was taken to Boscobel Hospital via ambulance but did succumb to injuries. Eyewitness accounts did say Larry D. Holloway, 51, of Blue River, did veer off the road only after avoiding a collision with an oncoming vehicle. The investigation did reveal that Holloway was not wearing a seatbelt and speed and alcohol was a contributing factor.

Blue River Fire / EMS and Boscobel EMS assisted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at the scene.

 

Motorcycle northbound on STH 58 lost control and was ejected into ditch. Operator suffered fatal injuries.

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On 05/24/2014 at approximately 5:33 PM Angela Novotny, 37 of La Valle,  was operating a motorcycle northbound on STH 58 when she lost control of the motorcycle and was ejected from the cycle onto the west side ditch line. Novotny was transported to Reedsburg Memorial by Cazenovia EMS. Novotny was then transported to UW-Madison by Med Flight where she succumbed to her fatal injuries.

Cazenovia EMS and Fire assisted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department on scene.

Two Car Crash on USH 14 in front of Mcdonald’s with Injuries

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On 05/22/2014 at 8:05 PM, Richland County 911 received a call of a 2-car crash on USH 14 at McDonald’s. The investigation found that McGrath, driving her 2003 Saturn Ion, pulled out of the McDonald’s parking lot onto USH 14 when a 2002 Dodge Durango driven by Olson crashed into the Ion. Olson’s vehicle veered off USH 14 coming to rest alongside NAPA Auto. The Ion came to rest along the shoulder. McGrath was transported to the hospital via ambulance.   Olson and her 3 passengers suffered minor injury. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Richland County EMS and Richland Center Fire assisted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at the scene.

Prescription Drug Take-back April 26th

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6B-Web-Button-400x150pxThe Prescription Drug Take-back will be held at the Richland Center Police Department on Saturday, April 26th between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

On April 26th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Richland Center Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its eighth opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to the Richland Center Police Department at 470 South Main Street. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last October, Americans turned in over 647,000 pounds of prescription drugs at over 5,600 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners.

The public may dispose of solid, non-liquid medications by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into the disposal box at the police department. Controlled, non-controlled and over-the-counter medications will be accepted. Blister packages are acceptable without the medications being removed. Liquids will be accepted but must be in their original packaging. Please note that inhalers and needles/sharps will not be accepted.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.