Juveniles rob Richland Center church
 

Richland Center, WI - February 8, 2010 - Chief of Police John Annear reports that three juveniles were apprehended over the weekend in connection with a burglary and theft at the Free Methodist Church located at the intersection of South Park and East Kinder Streets in the City of Richland Center.
  Chief Annear reports that at 1:21 AM Sunday morning an officer on routine patrol spotted the Juveniles between the Free Methodist Church and St. John’s Lutheran Church. The officer made contact with one of them while two fled the area on foot. Both were apprehended a short time later. An initial investigation revealed that the juveniles had just burglarized the Free Methodist Church and had stolen food items.
  As a result of the investigation, two males, ages fifteen and sixteen, along with a fifteen year old female will be referred to Richland County Health and Human Services, Juvenile intake, on charges of burglary and theft. The sixteen year old will also be referred on a charge of Possession of Burglary Tools. In addition, all three juveniles received curfew citations. No damage was done to the church.

Former Waukon Junction, IA resident dies in Montana house fire
 

February 7, 2010 - Kyle Boland, 25 years old, died in an early morning house fire in Ekalaka, Montana on Feb. 5th. Mr. Boland grew up in Waukon Junction and has many friends in this area. Story on Billings Gazette.
  Friends of the family are having a benefit bake sale at the Harpers Ferry Legion on Saturday Feb. 13, 9AM to 11AM. This will be a free will donation bake sale and all proceeds will go to the Boland Family.

Structure fire in Guttenberg, IA
 

By Captain Joe Zittergruen, Investigator, Guttenberg Fire Department.
Friday February 5, 2010 - On February 4, 2010 at 12:19pm the Guttenberg Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire on South Fourth Street in the City of Guttenberg.
  Upon arrival the department confirmed a working structure fire in a single story detached garage. Everyone was out of the structure upon arrival of the Fire Department and there were no reported injuries. The Fire was brought under control after an aggressive fire attack.
  The fire damage was contained to one corner of the garage and losses are limited. The fire department remained on scene until 02:00pm when all possible fire sources were under control.
After an initial investigation the origin of the fire appeared to be on or near a stack of fire wood inside the garage. The ignition or cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. There are no signs of this fire being set intentionally and it has been ruled accidentally.
  The Fire Department was assisted by the Guttenberg Police Department, Guttenberg Ambulance, and Clayton County Sheriff’s Department.

Truck hits spreader, driver flees
 

Grant County, WI - Feb. 4, 2010 at 6:14 p.m. - Daniel Day, 51 of Prairie du Chien and passenger, Travis Mulrooney, 25 of Madison, were traveling west on Hwy. 18 in Day’s 2000 Chevy truck.
  Mitchell Herbers, 20 of Woodman, WI, was also traveling west on Hwy. 18 with a John Deere tractor and manure spreader.
  Day collided with the back of the manure spreader, went around the tractor, and off the right shoulder. Day had fled the scene prior to police arrival, but was located a short distance away.
  Day was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants causing injury, operating a motor vehicle and causing injury with a prohibited alcohol concentration, possession of marijuana, and for leaving the accident scene.
  Mulrooney was transported to the Prairie du Chien Hospital by the West Grant Rescue squad for facial injuries. Airbags were not deployed and seatbelts were worn.
  Day’s truck was towed from the scene by B&M Auto for severe damage. Herbers was able to remove the tractor and spreader as the spreader sustained tire damage.

Man killed while cutting trees
 

Crawford County, WI - Feb. 1st, 2010 at 11:41 a.m. - The Sheriff’s Dept. responded to a tree cutting accident and found 49 year old Randall Lund pinned under a large tree near his rural Haney Township home.
  Lund had been cutting the tree down to make fire wood when the trunk of the tree split and fell backwards, crushing Lund who was pronounced dead at the scene (Obituary Notice).

Bank robbed in La Crosse
 

Update - Feb. 4th - Subject Walter M. Munnich, 46 of 2622 Rose St., #210 was arrested in connection of this bank robbery.
Tuesday, Feb. 2nd, 2010, at approximately 3:00 pm, officers of the La Crosse Police Department responded to the Associated Bank, 2402 North Rose St, located in Bridgeview Plaza, for a robbery that had just occurred.
  A single male suspect entered the bank, approached a teller, stating he had an explosive device in a briefcase, and demanded money. The suspect left the bank, after he was given an undetermined amount of cash, last seen headed toward the CITGO Station, at Rose and Palace.
The suspect description is:
 Male – White
 Approx 5’ 10” to 5’ 11” tall
 50’s to 60’s in age
 Hazel eyes
 Light brown hair
Clothing Description:
 Bright orange stocking cap
 Light green outer jacket over a maroon colored hooded       sweatshirt
 Dark colored pants
 Boots 
  Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the La Crosse Police Department at 608-785-5962. Callers can also remain anonymous by calling the
La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers at 784-8477 or text laxtips at Crimes (274-637) Callers to Crime Stoppers can be eligible for rewards of up to $1,000.

Week of February 8th, 2010

Who Dat? Saints Win Super Bowl

Link to CBSNews.com

It’s Nuts!
   

Cap'n Jack

                               - John Kretschmann

Many viewers sent in Hot Pixs of flooding in their area. Midwest News thanks them for helping us cover the area.

Gays Mills Priest arrested
for embezzlement
 

Gays Mills, WI - January 29, 2010, On Jan. 15th, Attorney Jim Bimbaum, an attorney for the Diocese of La Crosse, sent a correspondence to Crawford County District Attorney Tim Baxter which contained information that Father Robert Chukwu, a priest assigned to the parishes of St. Mary Parish in Gays Mills, and St. Phillip Parish, located in Rolling Ground (Soldiers Grove) may have embezzled up to $200,000.00 from those parishes and the La Crosse Diocese. Crawford County District Attorney Baxter turned this correspondence over to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department for further investigation.

Father Robert Chukwu

  Father Chukwu holds dual citizenship between the United States and Nigeria. Upon speaking with Father Chukwu about the funds and money, Father Chukwu stated to Attorney Birnbaum and Father Hirsch that he used moneys from the parish and La Crossse Diocese and invested it in Nigeria where he said he could get a better interest rate than if he sent the parish’s money to the Diocese. Father Hirsch stated that this was against the rules of the Diocese and done without authorization or consent.
  Father Chukwu allegedly sent money to his family in Nigeria as well as sending money to a nun and a school in Nigeria. Father Chukwu also allegedly sent a large forty (40) foot container to Nigeria containing items such as artificial flowers, candlesticks, Pedestal tables, clothing and other items he purchased from many local retail stores in the area.
  Much of the money used to purchase items to be sent to Nigeria allegedly came from insurance money and donations received by the parishes and Diocese for damages to the church from the flood in 2007.
  An investigation was completed on the parish’s books by an accounting firm in La Crosse which shows that Father Chukwu had approx. $105,000.00 in debit card charges along with other unauthorized charges totaling over $196,000.00.
  Numerous Search Warrants were conducted during the course of the investigation by the Crawford County Sheriff Department. On 1/29/10 an arrest warrant for Father Chukwu was issued and he was arrested later that day in La Crosse. Father Chukwu is currently in the Crawford County Jail on a Charge of Theft Business Setting over $10,000.00 a felony in the State of Wisconsin. The complaint remains under investigation.