Richland Center Police Chief Lucas Clements would like to pass on a press release from the United States Department of Justice, involving the indictment of a Richland Center resident for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to deliver.

MADISON, WIS. — A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictment.  You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Joshua Clarke, 31, Richland Center, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.  The indictment alleges that he possessed the methamphetamine on November 11, 2018.

Link to initial press release https://ci.richland-center.wi.us/traffic-stop-ends-in-arrests/

Joshua D. Clarke

If convicted, Clarke faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.  The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Richland Center Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Richland County District Attorney’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick Elgersma.

Adult School Crossing Guards play a critical role in keeping students safe as they walk to and from school each day. Adult School Crossing Guards place the children’s safety above their own while facing speeding motorists, cell phone users, and others disregarding traffic signals to ensure that all traffic is stopped before students enter the roadway

The Richland Center Police Department and the Richland School District would like to inform the community that January 14^th through January 18^th, 2019, has been proclaimed Wisconsin Adult School Crossing Guard Recognition Week.

It is important that we all take the time to say thank you to our local Adult School Crossing Guard, Bill Hall, who is tasked with the responsibility for the safe crossing of children near Jefferson Elementary. No matter if it is raining, snowing, sleeting, or 10 degrees below zero, Bill Hall never fails to do his duty. So next time you walk your child to school, or drop them off at the crosswalk, be sure to thank Bill Hall for watching out for your child. It is sometimes a thankless job, but rain or shine, he is always there.

The Richland Center Police Department would like to alert area businesses and residents to watch for counterfeit $100 bills that may begin to appear throughout Richland and surrounding counties.

On January 8^th, 2019 at approximately 3:35 PM, Officers with the Richland Center Police Department received complaints of three counterfeit $100 bills being used at two local businesses within the City of Richland Center.

At approximately 5:30 PM on January 8^th, 2019 the Richland Center Police Department was made aware of a counterfeit currency investigation by Officers with the Muscoda Police Department. As a result of the Muscoda Police Department investigation, probable cause was established to arrest 36 year old Michael D. Streiff for crimes he committed in Muscoda.

At approximately 10:00 PM on January 8^th, 2019 Richland Center Police Officers located Streiff in the City of Richland Center, and through the subsequent investigation, Officers located 17 counterfeit $100 dollar bills in his possession.

Through further investigation, it was confirmed that the three counterfeit $100 dollar bills that had been accepted at local businesses in Richland Center earlier in the afternoon, had come from Streiff and an accomplice. The serial numbers on the counterfeit $100 bills used at the local businesses were the same as the serial numbers on the counterfeit $100 bills found on Streiff’s possession. It is unknown at this time how many of the counterfeit $100 bills may be in circulation.

On January 8^th, 2019, Michael D. Streiff was arrested and transported to the Grant County Jail for charges related to the Muscoda Police Department investigation. Once Streiff’s Grant County court hearing is complete he will be turned over to Richland Center Police Department authorities and arrested for the following: Forgery (17 counts), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Schedule IV Drug, Possession of Prescription Drug without a Prescription, and Bail Jumping (10 counts).

All Richland Center charges will be forwarded to Richland County District Attorney Jennifer Harper for prosecution.

Chief Clements states, “The counterfeit $100 bills are obvious forgeries. They also have identical serial numbers of LB45440078L and are printed on distinctly thicker paper.”

Chief Clements is urging people and businesses to pay close attention to $100 bills. The counterfeit bills can be detected with a currency detector pen and by taking an extra second to observe the front and back of the bill.  Residents and stores are asked to carefully check bills when accepting money and turn in all suspected counterfeit bills to law enforcement as they are aware of the issue.

Chief Clements states in addition to the great police work among neighboring law enforcement agencies, the Richland Center Police Department is working with the United States Secret Service to find the source of the counterfeit money.

Chief Lucas Clements of the Richland Center Police Department reports that, on 12-27-18, Officers made contact at a residence in the City of Richland Center over a reported concern that children were being exposed to methamphetamine, which was being used and distributed within the residence.

Upon contact with the occupants of the residence, Officers found numerous children, including several toddlers and a baby. Officers also located several methamphetamine pipes, including one that still had smoke coming out of it. Further investigation discovered a baggie of methamphetamine and numerous items associated with methamphetamine usage and distribution, such as pipes, pipe cleaning items, syringes, snorting straws, scales, and repackaging baggies. As a result of the investigation, the following subjects were taken into custody.

Hope M. Millard, 33 of Richland Center, was arrested and tentatively charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver, Maintaining a Drug Trafficking House, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Child Neglect.

Ronda K. Leffler, 53 of Richland Center, was arrested and tentatively charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver, Maintaining a Drug Trafficking House, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Child Neglect.

Derek J. McDiarmid, 25 of Blue River, was arrested and tentatively charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Child Neglect, and Felony Bail Jumping.

All of the above listed drug related charges also carry a penalty enhancer because the offences took place within 1,000 feet of a park. All charges have been forwarded to the Richland County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

All juveniles in the house were examined by medical personnel before being released to responsible parties as determined by Richland County Child Protective Services (CPS).

In addition to CPS, the Richland Center Police Department was assisted on scene by the Richland-Iowa-Grant Drug Task Force, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and Richland County EMS.

Chief Clements states that this investigation was the result of a combination of consistent, sound law enforcement tactics conducted by Officers on patrol and a concerned citizen who was observant and reported their concerns to law enforcement. Chief Clements would like citizens to remain vigilant and continue to report suspicious activity, no matter how minor, noting that this case is a great example of how citizen involvement partnered with law enforcement can reduce crime within our community.

Chief Clements added that this case was also a prime example of why the Drug Endangered Children program was adopted locally in 2016. Chief Clements explained that the Drug Endangered Children program is a State program designed to increase communication and efficiency amongst agencies vested in the protection of children.

Any citizen who has information concerning any illegal activity is encouraged to call the Richland Center Police Department at 608-647-2103 or the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at 608-647-2016. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Richland Area Crime Stoppers at 647-CLUE (2583) and may be eligible for a cash reward.

Chief Lucas Clements reports that there have been many social media posts within the last week about suspicious persons, attempted abductions, or sex trafficking in and around the Richland Center area. These concerns have been further fueled by the circulation of “shared” social media posts.

Chief Clements and Sheriff Jim Bindl report that the Richland Center Police Department and Richland County Sheriff’s Department have received a few “suspicious activity” calls over the past week. These complaints have consisted of females with children possibly being followed. We have thoroughly investigated the complaints and we take them very seriously. We have not, however, identified any criminality in the complaints we have received. The Richland Center Police Department and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department have had no reports of abductions, or even attempted abductions, in these complaints; nor have there been any indications that the complaints are associated with sex trafficking.

Chief Clements also states, “I have been in contact with law enforcement officials in the neighboring communities of Muscoda and Boscobel, which have been mentioned in social media posts for allegedly experiencing similar “suspicious activity” complaints. Both Chief Bill Schramm of the Muscoda Police Department and Chief Todd Stenner of the Boscobel Police Department have not had any official reports of the type of activity mentioned in social media.”

While social media is a powerful tool to share information, the “viral” sharing of unverified information concerning a few alleged incidents can lead people to believe there have been significantly more incidents than actually occurred and unfairly label individual(s) as suspects. Ultimately, this sharing of unverified information has contributed to people feeling overly fearful.

All law enforcement agencies, to include locally the Richland Center Police Department and Richland County Sherriff’s Department have ALWAYS encouraged the public to be aware of their surroundings for their personal safety and to report suspicious activity to Law Enforcement. If you feel that you are being followed by someone please use the following tips:

1. Call 911 immediately to report, law enforcement does not continually monitor social media.
2. If walking, stay in a public area. If driving, drive to a police department or continue to drive until Law Enforcement is able to locate you.
3. Memorize, write down, or take a picture of the license plate number, vehicle, and/or suspect description or any other identifying information. This will assist Law Enforcement in their subsequent investigation.
4. Do not confront the individual(s).

Richland Center Police Department and Richland County Sheriff’s Department to mobilize for Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement from May 21st to June 3rd.

Both the Richland Center Police Department and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department will join hundreds of other law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin for the annual Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement campaign from May 21 to June 3.

“We enforce Wisconsin’s mandatory safety belt law – not to write citations – but to help save lives and prevent needless injuries,” said Chief Lucas Clements. “Right now in Wisconsin, we know that about nine of 10 motorists consistently wear a safety belt. We also know that the 10 percent who fail to buckle up account for nearly half of the drivers and passengers killed in Wisconsin traffic crashes each year.”

The state’s safety belt use rate of 89.4 percent is the highest ever, but still lags behind the national average. Last year in Wisconsin, there were 58,899 traffic convictions for failure to fasten a seat belt.

In Wisconsin, law enforcement officers can stop and cite motorists for failing to wear a safety belt. In addition, drivers can be cited for every unbuckled passenger in their vehicle. “Again, this is about preventing injuries and saving lives,” Sheriff James Bindl said. “Before hitting the road, drivers need to ensure that everyone is buckled up, every seat, every trip.”