Police Beat - 2015 - Markesan, Wisconsin

It's time to catch up on the nefarious goings-on of some citizens and on the good deeds of those long-suffering cops in Markesan, Wisconsin, where my husband and go nearly every weekend to our trailer on Little Green Lake. Here are Police Beat tidbits, as reported in the Markesan Regional Reporter (I've omitted the - very few - more serious crimes, of course, like bad check-writing, probation violation, driving while intoxicated, and domestic disturbances). The moral of the stories, I think, is that cops are your friends - even if what you've lost is only worth a buck and a half.

Mike and I read these bits out loud to each other, humming the theme to "Dragnet" between each news item....



Wednesday, April 15 - Deer/Car Collision - A vehicle was traveling eastbound on W. Manchester Street when a deer ran onto the roadway from the north, running into the driver's side of the vehicle. Very minor damage was caused, and the driver was able to remove the vehicle without the aid of a tow truck. [This report was one of several similar ones.]

Same Date - Lockout - Police were called to the parking lot of a local merchant where a complainant reported she was locked out of her vehicle. Police confirmed the complainant's identity and ownership and safely gained access to the vehicle, without doing damage to the vehicle. [There are many of these reports.]

Monday, April 20 - Lost Property - Police were notified of a lost wallet at a local gas station. The complainant stated he had placed his wallet on the roof of his car. However, when police reviewed the gas station's video surveillance tapes, they were unable to locate the wallet. Police informed the complainant that if any additional information came up, they would contact him.

Tuesday, April 21 - Citizen Assist - Police were contacted by the former employee of a local merchant stating that their final check was being withheld. Police informed the complainant that problems with a company's payroll are a civil issue and should be taken up with that employee's company. A short time later, the manager of the company's local store contacted police to report the original complainant's theft of a company-owned work uniform. Police informed the second complainant of the first complainant's call, to which the second complainant stated the employees' paycheck had been placed in the mail. Police relayed the message to the first complainant, and further instructed the first complainant to return the work uniforms.

Saturday, May 16 - Animal Problem - Police were contacted by an area hospital regarding a dog bite that occurred within the City of Markesan. Police made contact with the victim, who stated the bite occurred at an E. John Street residence. Police then made contact with the dog's owner, who stated he had observed the incident. The dog owner additionally stated he had contacted his veterinarian, who he stated, had lost the animals rabies information. Police then made contact with the dog owner's veterinarian, who stated the information was not lost; the dog simply did not  have its current vaccinations. Police then returned to the dog's owner, informing him that the animal was required to be quarantined for the next ten days and be vaccinated at the same time.

Friday, June 10 - Suspicious - Police were dispatched to a N. Main Street address on a neighbor's report that an unknown individual was spotted sleeping in the yard. Police arrived on scene and were able to locate the individual in question. Police noted the man had a nearly full can of beer laying next to him. Police were able to wake up the individual, who stated he was okay, but had gotten turned around because he was unfamiliar with the area. Police noted the man was in town with the company that operates the rides for June Dairy Days. Police made sure the man got home safely and then cleared from the area.

Friday, June 12 - Theft - Police were dispatched to a local gas station on the report of a theft. On scene, police were able to identify the individual in question, who police had recently dealt with approximately thirty minutes earlier. Police were able to locate the man and walked him back to the gas station where the station attendants were able to identify the stolen items which included cigars, rolling papers and multiple cans of beer. All items were returned to the gas station except for one cigar, which the individual was smoking when he was approached by police. Police returned the individual to his home and cited him for theft before clearing from the scene.

Saturday, June 13 - Found Property - Police were contacted by an E. John Street resident, who stated he had found two golf flags in his yard when he awoke. Police recognized the golf flags as belonging on the small golf course behind Markesan Middle/High School and returned the flags there.

Sunday, June 14 - Citizen Assist - Police were contacted by a concerned citizen who reported that an elderly woman had just fallen in the area of Hein Park. Police were able to identify the woman, and soon after, a second individual contacted police looking for the woman. Police provided the woman a ride back to her home.

Tuesday, June 23 - Animal Problem - Police were contacted regarding a dog that was in a local alleyway and was tearing through garbage. Police arrived on scene, located the dog and were able to collect the animal, which was wearing a collar but no tags. Later the same evening, police were contacted by a Markesan resident regarding his missing dog. The dog matched the description of the previously captured animal, and the owner and dog were reunited.

Friday, June 26 - Fireworks - Police were called to a S. Main Street address on the report of fireworks being lit off. When police arrived on scene, fireworks were no longer being lit, however, officers did locate the spent fireworks at the end of the individual's driveway.

Sunday, June 28 - Found Property - Police were contacted by a North Grand Street resident who stated someone had just placed a bicycle in his front yard and then ran down Caroline Street. Police propped the bike up against a nearby tree in case the owner returned. Driving by the location at approximately 2:30 am, police saw the bike had not been moved, so they collected the bike and put it in the storage room, waiting for the owner to claim it.

Friday, July 3 - Drugs - Police were dispatched to the intersection of Hickory Road and County Highway O by a Green Lake County Sheriff's Deputy for assistance with a drug stop. Police questioned three individuals in a car who admitted to smoking marijuana. Speaking with all three subjects individually, police were told the trio had come to the area with the intention of smoking the marijuana in the woods, but once in the woods, there were too many mosquitoes, so they returned to the car and smoked the marijuana at which point the Sheriff's Deputy had arrived on scene. Police continued assisting the Sheriff's Deputy, as needed, including informing the parents of one of the juvenile individuals involved.

Same date - Alcohol offense - Police were contacted by a concerned citizen who had observed an open intoxicant in a vehicle in the parking lot of a local merchant. Police arrived on scene and did observe the same open intoxicant. Moments later, the driver of the vehicle arrived at her car. Speaking with police, the subject stated she had just stopped at a gas station to pick up an energy drink, took a sip, and immediately recognized her mistake. Police checked the open container and found the can was nearly full. Seeing no signs of intoxication, police asked the woman to dump out the contents of the can before clearing from the scene.

Saturday July 4 - Fireworks - Police received an anonymous complaint regarding fireworks being set off at a Vista Boulevard address. Police arrived on scene and located the individual who was setting off the fireworks and who stated he was done for the evening. Police cleared from the scene.

Same date - Juvenile Problem - Police were notified by a concerned parent who stated his son was supposed to be home approximately two hours earlier. Police were able to locate the juvenile in question, who stated he was not aware of a curfew. Police provided the juvenile a ride home without incident.

Saturday July 11 - Ordinance Violation - Following up on a previous incident regarding a citizen complainant involving neighbors playing with a toy bow and arrow, the reporting officer was able to consult a supervisor in the department regarding the ordinance. Following up with the parent, the officer did state shooting the bow and arrows is against city ordinance. The parent of the children was disappointed, but understood.

Sunday, July 12 - Animal Problem - Police were dispatched to the Markesan Police Department in reference to a found dog. Police arrived on scene and made contact with a resident who had found a dog running around, collected the dog, and contacted the police. The dog was wearing a City of Markesan tag, which allowed police to contact the owner and return the dog.

Same date - Traffic misc. - Police received a complaint from an individual who wished to remain anonymous regarding a truck that was cruising in the area at a high rate of speed with a loud exhaust. Police located the vehicle and did observe it accelerating out of a parking lot at an extremely high rate of speed. Police initiated a traffic stop and issued a written warning. Following the stop, police were subsequently contacted by three additional individuals regarding the same vehicle. Because the driver was under the age of 18, police contacted the driver's father, who expressed no concern over the matter.

Sunday, July 26 - Citizen Assist - Police were contacted through Green Lake County Dispatch of an individual who bought a grill at an area estate sale. The individual did not have room on his bike for the grill and asked a second individual at the auction to drop the grill off at a local business, but the second individual never showed up. Police told the first individual they would look into the matter. Police asked how much the first individual paid for the grill, and he stated $1.50. The officer was unable to turn up any information. Later in the day, however, while on routine patrol, a second officer observed a grill matching the original description sitting on the curb at the residence where the auction was earlier in the day The officer contacted the original individual, who stated he'd go pick up the grill right away.