News

Shawano Police Department

Aug. 22

Police logged 35 incidents, including the following:

Disturbance — A disturbance was reported in the 1100 block of South Weed Street.

Warrant — A 21-year-old Rush City, Minnesota, man was arrested on a Shawano County warrant after police responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint at the Shawano Park and Recreation Center, 220 E. Division St. The man was found sleeping inside the suspicious vehicle.

Harassment — Police responded to a harassment complaint in the 200 block of South Sawyer Street.

Theft — A bike was reported stolen in the 100 block of South Sawyer Street.

Fire — Police assisted at the scene of an outdoor grill fire at Charlie’s County Market, 521 S. Main St.

Accident — Police responded to a two-vehicle property damage accident at Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St.

Theft — A storage unit was reported broken into in the 700 block of Waukechon Street.

Shawano County is joining a lawsuit against the federal Department of Interior in hopes of picking up a share of increased financial reimbursement for lost tax base that the suit maintains the DOI hasn’t paid out for the last three years.

The lawsuit in question is Kane County, Utah v. United States, a class action lawsuit allowing local governments like Shawano County to opt in to qualify for a potential financial award owed to it under the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act.

The PILT payments pertain to the amount of land a county has within its borders held in trust for the benefit of an Indian tribe, such as the Stockbridge and Ho-Chunk tribes in Shawano County.

The PILT Act has been around for decades, but was expanded in 2015.

The suit maintains the DOI did not pay out all of the funds it should have to eligible counties under the recently expanded legislation for the fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017.

The outside grill at Charlie’s County Market destroyed by fire Thursday was quickly replaced on Friday, allowing the popular the Red Barn that relies on the grill to be back in business without missing a beat, or a brat for that matter.

The Red Barn outdoor grilling feature at Charlie’s, 521 S. Main St., is used by churches, clubs and various organizations for fundraisers.

The Shawano Area Fire Department, assisted by Shawano police, was called out to the grill just before 4 p.m. Thursday.

The person operating the grill had placed sawdust underneath to catch grease from the grill. But the hot grease ignited the sawdust, causing the fire, according to Fire Chief Shawn Borlace.

The store did not have information immediately available Friday as to which group had been operating the barn Thursday.

“There was no major structure damage to Charlie’s or the Red Barn or anything like that,” Borlace said. “Just the grill burned up.”

Shawano Police Department

Aug. 22

Police logged 32 incidents, including the following:

Disturbance — A 25-year-old Shawano man was arrested for disorderly conduct/domestic violence and two counts of bail jumping after a disturbance in the 400 block of West Third Street.

Theft — Money was reported stolen in the 1200 block of South Lincoln Street.

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

Theft — A bike was reported stolen in the 800 block of South Weed Street.

OAR — A 47-year-old woman was cited for operating after revocation at Lincoln and Division streets.

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance involving a juvenile in the 1100 block of Lieg Avenue.

OWI — A 19-year-old Shawano male was arrested for operating a vehicle with a detectable amount of controlled substance and an outstanding warrant at Elizabeth and Evergreen streets.

A convicted sex offender being placed by the state in a Birnamwood residence starting this weekend is rattling the nerves of neighbors, but Shawano County authorities say there is nothing they can do to stop it.

The placement was ordered by a Milwaukee County judge, who approved a supervised release plan from the state Department of Health Services.

Shermell G. Tabor, 41, was convicted in Waukesha County in 1995 of second degree sexual assault, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry.

According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access web site, the specific charge was aiding and abetting a second degree sexual assault.

Tabor pleaded guilty to that charge and was sentenced to six years in prison.

A Keshena man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 16 years and eight months in prison followed by 20 years’ supervised release for abusive sexual contact with a minor.

Ricki A. Mahkimetas Jr., 25, pleaded guilty in June to having sexual contact with an 8-year-old girl he was babysitting in August 2017 while other minor children were in the same residence.

Mahkimetas’ supervisory role over the child constituted the abusive component of the charge.

Mahkimetas denied having sexual contact with a child when interviewed by Menominee Tribal Police in late September 2017. He was arrested in October on tribal charges for similar alleged child sexual conduct and remained in custody.

In December, a federal grand jury in Milwaukee indicted him on a child sex charge. That was amended later to add two more alleged child victims.

The Shawano County Democratic Party opened its new headquarters Wednesday at 105 N. Airport Drive, despite concern that one of the guests of honor might not make it to the unveiling.

Beau Liegeois, the Democratic candidate running for Mike Gallagher’s Congressional seat, was scheduled to speak at 6:30 p.m., along with Dr. Richard Sarnwick, who is running for the Wisconsin Assembly Sixth District seat, but Liegeois was delayed due to a fundraising event in Kewaunee County.

Liegeois said he has met Democratic candidates for other state and federal seats in November, and he feels the party has a good chance of unseating some longtime Republicans.

“We have the best roster of candidates in northeastern Wisconsin this year,” Liegeois said, noting there was a good turnout in the Aug. 14 primary for the Democrats.

Hunter Micolichek is the new part-time school resource officer for the Pulaski Community School District.

“We are excited to have Hunter Micolichek back in our school community as a school resource officer,” said Nicole Borley, Student Services director. “Hunter is great at developing relationships and is a positive role model for students in the school environment and in the community. He is eager to mentor, serve and provide early interventions in our school community.”

Micolichek is a 2015 Pulaski High School graduate and a graduate of the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s Law Enforcement Academy. He joined the Pulaski Police Department in March after serving as a corrections officer for the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department.

Shawano Police Department

Aug. 21

Police logged 17 incidents, including the following:

Warrant — A 41-year-old woman was taken into custody on a warrant at Lincoln and Randall streets.

Accident — A minor accident was reported at Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St.

Suspicious — A suspicious vehicle was reported in the 500 block of South Main Street.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Aug. 21

Deputies logged 37 incidents, including the following:

Theft — Authorities responded to a property theft complaint on East Green Bay Street in Bonduel.

Trespass — A trespassing complaint was reported on Witt-Birn Town Line Road in the town of Wittenberg.

Theft — Authorities responded to a property theft complaint on Hillview Road in the town of Herman.

Trespass — A trespassing complaint was reported on First Street in Aniwa.

If it had been up to Pat Crawford, the Crawford Center in Shawano that he funded and that bears his name would be called something else.

He finally relented after he was assured that at least his first name wouldn’t appear on the building.

“He was a very humble man,” said Jeff Huntington, president of the Shawano Hockey League, which operates out of the center.

“That was one thing with him, he always was willing to donate, but he was a very humble person and he didn’t want that recognition,” Huntington said. “He just wanted to help out.”

The hockey league was just one of many groups and organizations that Crawford, his wife Ruth and the Crawford family foundation donated to over the years.

Pat Crawford passed away Sunday at the age of 92.