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Complaint: Green Bay apartment fire was gang retaliation

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GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Court documents show that the two teens arrested in connection with a Green Bay apartment fire this week allegedly set the blaze to quote, "send a message" to a rival gang member.

18-year-old Jesse Jones and 17-year-old Jordan Gardner are both charged with arson, burglary and endangering safety. Almost $700,000 in damage was done to the Sun and Sand Apartments on Danz Avenue.

According to the criminal complaint, the teens confessed to setting the fires. Gardner and Jones told investigators they went into the basement of the apartment building, then found spray cans marked “flammable.”

They told investigators they used a lighter to start a soaked rag on fire. Then, they both ran out of the building.

Court documents also show Gardner and Jones were arrested Thursday morning for stealing a PlayStation system and two laptops from an apartment on Cherry Street in Green Bay.

Investigators later connected the two to the surveillance video at the Danz street apartment building.

“This defendant confessed, stating that motive was gang retaliation. The state’s case is strong due to his confession,” said Kristen Bohnert, a Brown County Assistant District Attorney, per FOX 11.

Gardner and Jones are behind bars on $100,000 cash bonds.


Motorcyclist injured after hitting deer in Brown County

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TOWN OF GLENMORE, WI (WTAQ) - A crash in Brown County Friday night leaves a Denmark man fighting for his life.

Brown County sheriffs were called to a motorcycle accident just before 10:30 p.m. on County Highway X near Highway NN in the Town of Glenmore.

Deputies say the motorcyclist hit two deer in the roadway. The man was taken to a local hospital and his injuries are considered life-threatening

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor.

 

Maribel man critically injured in overnight crash

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TOWN OF NEW DENMARK, WI (WTAQ) - A Maribel man is fighting for his life following a one-vehicle crash Friday night.

Brown County sheriffs say it happened on Rosecrans Road, south of Hagar Road in the Town of New Denmark just before 11 p.m.

Deputies say the 20-year-old man was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover crash.

Alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash...the man also wasn't wearing a seatbelt. 

The man’s injuries are life-threatening and he's being treated at a local hospital.

Strong, severe thunderstorms expected Sunday night

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GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Some strong thunderstorms are heading our way later today.

FOX 11 reports that by Sunday evening, a line of storms will sweep southeastward through the area armed with a cold front. The storms should hit between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

As of now, parts of northeast Wisconsin can expect a half-inch to an inch of rain. Some of these storms could run from strong to severe, with high winds and hail being the main risk.

The area to watch for these severe storms will be west of the Fox Valley and North Central Wisconsin.

11 a. m. News Conference scheduled after four people killed in Menasha shooting

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MENASHA, WI (WTAQ)- City of Menasha Police say five people were shot in a random act of violence on the Trestle Trail Bridge.

Four of the five people are dead, including the suspected shooter.

Police received a call of an active shooter just after 7 o’clock Sunday evening.

Upon arrival, officers found the five people shot on the bridge.

Theda Clark Medical Center confirmed it is treating the other shooting victim.

They say she is in her thirties and is in critical condition.

Theda Clark Medical Center confirms it was put under a “controlled access” lock down around 7:45 as a result of the incident. The lock down ended at 10 p.m.

Police are still investigating to see if the shooter has any sort of connection to any of the victims. So far, they believe it was a random act.

Folllow the news conference here.

 

Green Bay police investigate stabbing incident

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GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay police are investigating the stabbing of two people on the city's east side early Sunday.

Authorities say it happened near the corner of St. George Street and Eastman Avenue around 3:30 a.m.

Police indicate the first stabbing victim is a man, who underwent surgery at an area hospital. His condition is not known. Details of the second victim have not been confirmed yet.

No one has been arrested in connection with the incident and the investigation is ongoing.

Police identify shooter, victims in Menasha Trestle Trail massacre

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MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - Calling it the "end of innocence", City of Menasha police and other officials are talking more about the random shooting Sunday evening that killed four people and critically injured a fifth person.

The shooting took place on the Trestle Trail Bridge in Menasha around 7:30 p.m.

Menasha Police Chief Tim Styka identified the people involved in the tragedy during a press conference Monday. 

The slain victims are 33-year-old Johnathon Stoffel of Neenah, his 11-year-old daughter Olivia Stoffel and 31-year-old Adam Bentdahl of Appleton. 32-year-old Erin Stoffel, the wife of Jonathon and mother of Olivia, remains in critical condition at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah.

Styka says the lone gunman, disputing some earlier reports, has been identified as 27-year-old Sergio Daniel Valencia del Toro. Police say del Toro turned the gun on himself and died at the hospital. 

Medical Director of Trauma at Theda Clark Medical Center Dr. Ray Georgen says the emergency surgery on Erin Stoffel went well, and they are very hopeful for recovery.

Authorities indicate that Erin Stoffel was a hero in this tragedy, sending her son to run for help after being shot multiple times. She also helped other children safely get off the bridge. 

Authorities estimate between 75 and 100 people were in the park area at the time of the shootings. The incident took place about two-thirds of the way across the bridge near a pavilion.

Winnebago County Coroner Barry Busby commended the heroism of multiple law enforcement agencies that quickly responded. He also commended 7-year-old Ezra Stoffel and his 5-year-old sister for running off the bridge to get help.

Olivia Stoffel was a student at Fox Valley Christian Academy in Neenah, which was closed on Monday.

A COMMUNITY MOURNS

Family and friends of the victims of Sunday's Menasha multiple shooting are coming forward to talk about their loved ones.

Justin Leeman, a cousin of the Stoffels, calls them wonderful people.

"Very religious, very active in the church, fun loving," Leeman told WTAQ. "Shock all the way around, just because of the people they are."

Dozens of family, friends and community members gathered Monday afternoon at the family’s church. A vigil honored the Stoffel family at Calvary Bible Church in Neenah.

Tommy Bongers says he is Jon Stoffel’s second cousin.

“Jon was the guy that would give the shirt off his back to anybody. If somebody was doing something, he would be the first guy there,” said Bongers.

Jon and his wife Erin enrolled their three children in the Fox Valley Christian Academy located next to the church.

“All of their children were a joy. Smiles, bubbly, very active. Just tremendous children, all three of them. When you look at them, they just make you smile,” said Ron Halma, Fox Valley Christian Academy Principal.

An online fundraiser has been established for the Stoffel family.

SHOOTER HAD NO PRIOR RECORD

During the press conference, Menasha Police Chief Tim Styka says del Toro was apparently distraught about the relationship with his fiancée. Styka says he and his fiancée ended their engagement a week ago, was distraught and armed himself with two guns and ammo.

“It was a relationship issue that he had, he and his fiancé had called off their wedding about a week ago,” Styka said, “and discussed other issues with their relationship, and he was distraught over that.”

Police confirmed del Toro had no prior criminal record and could legally possess firearms.

“We had no contacts with him,” said Menasha Police Chief Tim Styka. “As far as from a mental health perspective. But that’s something we’ll definitely be looking at as we gather more information on this.”

Authorities say they believe there was no communication between del Toro and the victims, and that he walked past some people before deciding to open fire.

Police say he went to the park area, and shot all four victims randomly, unprovoked and at close range.

Del Toro recently re-enlisted in the Army after being an Air Force veteran and also attended UW-Oshkosh. According to a spokesman with the Air Force personnel center, del Toro was a senior airman stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California.

He worked as a food service journeyman from November 2008 to March 2014. A U.S. Army official told FOX 11, Del Toro joined the Michigan National Guard after leaving the Air Force and transferred to the Wisconsin National Guard.

A statement by UW-Oshkosh says del Toro was a second semester freshman.

He also was a member of the Menasha Auxiliary Police Unit, having applied last November and officially joined in January.

"When they did the background checks on him, he had glowing references from former military personnel and employers," says Menasha Police Officer Aaron Zemlock. "They followed through with hiring him, based on our background checks and referrals based on his recommendations."

Zemlock says that he had yet to perform any assignments with them, which include crowd control for events and directing traffic.

(Additional reporting from FOX 11).

Winnebago County authorities find human remains

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TOWN OF VINLAND, WI (WTAQ) - Human remains have been found by authorities in the Town of Vinland, who are looking for more help from the public.

Winnebago County Sheriffs deputies say the remains were found near the railroad tracks, south of County GG east of Interstate 41.

An initial examination found that the remains to be those of a white man of an unknown age. Investigators determined that the remains had been at that location since anytime from January 2013 to December 2014.

More forensic testing is being done to try and identify the deceased and cause of death. 

Anyone with information about this incident please should contact the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office (920) 236-7300.

 


Suspect in Oshkosh heroin death will stand trial

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OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A man accused of supplying heroin to a Redgranite man who overdosed will stand trial.

According to online court records, 33-year-old Patrick Brown waived his preliminary hearing on a charge of first-degree reckless homicide. Brown is due to be arraigned in Winnebago County court Friday.

Police say 31-year-old Nicholas Aronson died back in February on W. 10th Avenue in Oshkosh. Autopsy results show the cause of death to be heroin toxicity.

Howard woman accused of stabbing boyfriend charged

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GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Charges have been filed against a Howard woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend.

20-year-old Cayla Katch is charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety. 

Authorities say Katch got into an argument with her boyfriend at a Howard apartment on Friday night. Brown County Sheriffs deputies say the boyfriend was stabbed in the back. 

The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Downtown Green Bay apartment fire early Tuesday

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GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - No one was hurt after a cooking fire inside a downtown Green Bay apartment.

Green Bay Metro Fire crews were called just before 6 a.m. Tuesday to the Monroe Plaza Apartments on N. Monroe Ave. 

The woman living in that apartment told firefighters that she left a towel too close to a burner. Crews were able to put out the blaze in about 20 minutes.

The fire severely damaged the apartment. Crews inspected the rest of the building as a precaution and most residents did not have to be evacuated.

Most folks living at the Monroe Plaza are older or have disabilities.

2014 is a big year for visitors to Brown County

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Green Bay, WI (WTAQ) - Tourism figures released last week showed a healthy increase in visitors and spending in 2014 for the state of Wisconsin.   A closer look at Brown County follows suit.  

Let's start with  a better than 5 percent increase in visitor expenditures. That translates, according to Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitor's Bureau President Brad Toll, into $588 million.  

5-point-3 million people visited Brown County in 2014.

Toll says there's many reasons for the healthy increase. Lower gas prices played a part and business travel appears to be on the rise.  

With an expanded K-I Convention Center in the works, and anticipated development plans for the land west of Lambeau Field..the future looks bright.  

Toll says CVB plans include working with economic development and going after conventions involving industries that are being wooed to come to Green Bay.

 He says tourism supports more than 11 thousand jobs in Brown County.

Lone survivor of Trestle Trail massacre Erin Stoffel upgraded to serious condition

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NEENAH, WI (WTAQ) - The only surviving victim of Sunday's shooting massacre in the Fox Valley was upgraded Tuesday to serious condition.

32-year-old Erin Stoffel of Neenah had been hospitalized in critical condition at Theda Clark Medical Center.

She was bicycling with her family on the Trestle Trail Bridge in Menasha when gunman Sergio Valencia del Toro opened fire on Sunday evening.

Stoffel's husband and 11-year-old daughter were killed, along with Adam Bentdahl of Appleton and the gunman.

Police said del Toro argued with his ex-fiancee before going to the bridge and committing the shootings at random and unprovoked.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

Mass shooting scenes Trestle Trail, Fritse Park reopen Tuesday

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TOWN OF MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - Just two days after four people, including the lone gunman, were killed in a random shooting, parks officials have reopened the scenes of the massacre.

Cleaning work wrapped up Tuesday afternoon at Fritse Park and the Trestle Trail, so Town of Menasha officials decided to reopen. They had hoped to allow the public back in by Wednesday.

People wanting to leave flowers or other memorials to the victims can do so in a small area of Fritse Park. There will also be memorials placed at the other end of the bridge in the city of Menasha. Officials are asking the public to place all memorials under the pavilion in the center of the trail.

On Sunday evening, Jon Stoffel and his daughter Olivia, along with Adam Bentdahl were gunned down. Jon's wife, Erin Stoffel, was wounded and remains hospitalized.

The gunman, identified as Sergio Daniel Valencia del Toro, turned the gun on himself. Police say he was apparently upset over his recently broken-off engagement to his girlfriend.

Menasha shooter's fiancée: Police narrative 'isn't true'

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MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - The woman who was planning to marry the man who killed three people and himself in Menasha denies police accounts that she broke up with her fiancée.

UW-Oshkosh student Haylie Peterson told the Advance-Titan campus newspaper that she never broke up with Sergio Valencia del Toro. And reports that the two argued before he rode off and committed his shooting spree were false.

In Peterson's words, "What's going around isn't true."

Menasha Police Department spokesman Aaron Zemlock told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the information they released was accurate, according to what officers were told during their investigation.

Del Toro shot and killed Jon Stoffel and his 11-year-old daughter Olivia, wounded Jon's wife Erin, and killed Adam Bentdahl of Appleton before turning the gun on himself. It happened Sunday evening at Menasha's Tressel Trail Bridge.

Earlier reports that the family was bicycling on the bridge at the time were wrong. They were said to be walking.

Winnebago County authorities released three 911 calls Tuesday which hinted chaos at the shooting scene. Officials said the tapes were the only ones "releasable."

An Internet campaign on GoFund Me.Com raised $102,000 by mid-afternoon for the Stoffel family survivors. The goal was $150,000.

(Additional reporting from Wheeler News Service)


Brown County Sheriff: Charges referred in DARE investigation

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GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - The Brown County Sheriff's Department has referred charges to the district attorney's office in connection with the investigation into missing money from the DARE program.

Multiple media outlets report that Sheriff John Gossage has confirmed that his office forwarded charges. Gossage indicates that more information will be released during a Friday morning press conference.

Deputy Kevin Vanden Heuvel was placed on administrative suspension as part of a criminal and internal investigation back in October. Two days later, Vanden Heuvel resigned.

Green Bay Democrat among lawmakers looking to limit federal school testing

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MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - More than 20 Wisconsin lawmakers have asked their congressional representatives to limit federally required tests for public school students.

Assembly Democrat Eric Genrich of Green Bay was behind the request.

Most of those signing a letter to the state's congressional delegation are Democrats. They favor a bill to require only one test for elementary students, one for middle school youngsters, and one exam for high school students.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires public schools to test kids each year from 3rd through 8th grades, and once in high school. The U.S. Senate is expected to debate the measure when the No Child Left Behind Act comes up for reauthorization this month in Washington.

Wisconsin had problems administering a new online achievement this spring -- and Governor Scott Walker has proposed different exams in his proposed state budget for the next two years. Lawmakers in Madison have not acted on that request yet.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

2nd person dies in Calumet County crash; Athens woman dies in separate crash

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CALUMET COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - A second person has died in a crash in which a car rear-ended a road sweeper in eastern Wisconsin.

Calumet County officials said 50-year-old Derrick Burkhalter of Hilbert died on Monday at a Neenah hospital, after he was critically injured in the April 27th crash. The car driver, 28-year-old Andrew Graverson of the town of Menasha, died at the crash scene.

The State Patrol said Burkhalter was operating a Calumet County sweeper truck that was trailing two road graders on a shoulder when the sweeper was rear-ended. It happened east of Menasha on Highways 10 and 114 in Harrison.

Meanwhile, authorities have released the name of a woman killed by a car in central Wisconsin.

Marathon County sheriff's officials said 67-year-old Phyllis Pawlowski of Athens was walking on Highway 97 near Athens on Saturday night when the car struck her. She died at the scene.

Deputies do not suspect drugs or alcohol as factors on the female driver's part. She has not been cited.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

Wisconsin celebrates "National Bike to School Day"

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MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - If you drive by a school Wednesday, don't be surprised if there are more bicycles parked outside than usual.

This is "National Bike to School Day." Officials throughout Wisconsin are promoting the day as a great way for kids to get some more exercise.

Maria Skubal of the Oneida County Health Department in Rhinelander says not only improves a child's physical health -- it also fosters sharper minds and better performance in school. It also provides its own safety lesson.

Skubal says riders should wear helmets, ride in the same lane that motor vehicles use, obey traffic signs, and use turn signals. She says community volunteers are helping young bikers at busy corners -- and they've got bags and coupons for ice cream treats to provide incentives.

The state DOT says parents should also take note of the safety advice. Tanya Iverson says the DOT has safety advice just for kids on a special Web site.

Officials say there's a need to make young bicyclists safer. 5 through 14-year-olds make up about 15 percent of Wisconsin residents -- but they account for 30 percent of all bike-related injuries each year.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

Report: Menasha gunman was irrational, suffered from depression

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MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - The woman who was engaged to the man who killed himself and three others in Menasha now says he suffered from depression -- and he was very irrational.

24-year-old Haylie Peterson tells the Appleton Post-Crescent she expressed concerns to Sergio Valencia del Toro about his depression, just before she left the Menasha home which they shared.

That was on Sunday evening. She said she left because they both needed time to get their emotions in check. When she returned home, she said her fiancee was gone -- and weapons were missing.

This comes on the heels of another report that Peterson claimed police lied about the circumstances leading up to the shooting.

Officials said he bicycled to the Trestle Trail Bridge in Menasha where he randomly opened fire. He killed 33-year-old Jon Stoffel and his 11-year-old daughter Olivia, wounded the girl's mother, and killed 31-year-old Adam Bentdahl and then himself.

The female victim, 32-year-old Erin Stoffel of Neenah, was taken off the critical list and was hospitalized in serious condition at last word.

An Internet fundraiser for the Stoffel family has raised $125,000 on GoFund Me.Com as of Wednesday morning. There were over 2,700 donors, and the goal was raised from $150,000 to $250,000.

(Additional reporting from Wheeler News Service)

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