MARSHFIELD, WI (WTAQ) - A Marshfield man could be heading to prison for three years, for running a Green Bay Packers' ticket scam which cost its victims over $50,000.

37-year-old Patrick Blachut pleaded no contest Wednesday to nine Wood County felony and misdemeanor charges of theft by fraud. Six similar counts were dropped in a plea deal.

Authorities said Blachut offered to sell hard to get Packer season tickets to 15 business people in the Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids areas last fall. Buyers from as far away as Fond du Lac took the bait, after Blachut reportedly claimed he had connections with the Packers from a previous job.

The Wood County buyers lost around $46,000.

Prosecutors said they'd recommend 3 years in prison, plus 6 more years of extended supervision and probation when Blachut is sentenced on August 6th.

He was also given a deferred prosecution agreement in Eau Claire County, in which a similar theft by fraud charge would be dropped if he stays clean and meets certain conditions.

A judge is scheduled to make the final call in April of 2017. Authorities said there were two victims in that case.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A police report indicates that an Oshkosh zoo worker accidentally left open a gate to the wolf area before a child was bitten.

The incident happened Friday at the Menominee Park Zoo.

The 3-year-old boy’s mother told police she saw a group of people up close to the wolves, and took her son to that area.

She said she was taking pictures of the wolves, and as she was putting her cell phone away, she heard people yelling that her son’s fingers were inside a chain-link fence surrounding the wolves.

As she looked up, a 12-year-old wolf bit the boy in the middle and ring fingers of his left hand, drawing blood.

According to the report, health officials told the child's parents to have him get rabies shots in case the wolf was infected. Zoo officials didn't want to have the wolf euthanized, which wouldn't be needed to test it for rabies. A rabies test requires brain tissue samples, which cannot be done on a live animal.

However, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health told parks officials the wolf had to be euthanized and tested for rabies. Test results found the wolf did not have rabies.

You can read the entire report by clicking on the PDF above

GREENVILLE, WI (WTAQ) - A routine inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture uncovered violations at a Fox Valley zoo which recently had animals stolen from it.

Earlier this month, the USDA inspection found things like rodent droppings in and around the food storage area for the primates at Special Memories Zoo in Greenville.

It also discovered that some animals, like monkeys and a lemur, didn't have enough water to drink.

Owners of the zoo say they're currently taking steps to correct these "minor violations."

The inspector also found that the stall where a white deer is kept didn’t have a clean space to lay down, as all its bedding was soiled.

The zoo owners say at the time of the inspection, they were moving the animals from their winter living quarters to the actual zoo, and that no animals were in any danger.

The inspection came  just days before the zoo says a baby kangaroo and four baby goats were stolen. Owners have said they don’t believe the animals are still alive.

You can read the entire PDF report above

ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ) - Get ready to start seeing the new Interstate 41 signs popping up from the Wisconsin-Illinois border all the way north through the Green Bay area.

On Thursday, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation showed off the new signs at a press conference.

"10 years in the making. I know seeing 3,000 of these signs is going to be a welcome thing for economic development but also for the citizens of Wisconsin," said Wisconsin Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch.

Many of the dignitaries attending lamented that it took that long to arrive at this destination.

"The end of a really long and arduous process. This was a real team effort and many, many people played a role in the creation of Interstate 41," said DOT Secretary Mark Gottlieb.

One of the key contributors to this designation was former Wisconsin Congressman Tom Petri. He explained the significance of this change.

"Interstate highways are the safest roads we have and it also means jobs in the area," said Petri. "Everyone in the world knows what a U.S. Interstate highway is and it's a hook on which you can promote yourself."

Crews will start putting up the signs within the next few weeks, completing the installation by November. It returns to U.S. Highway status north of Howard.

VILLAGE OF WINNECONNE, WI (WTAQ) - Winnebago County sheriff's say a Neenah man has been charged after trying to meet an underage girl online for sex.

29-year-old Nicholas Camargo is charged with using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime and causing a child to view sexual activity.

Investigators say they believed Camargo tried to pay for sex with minors on a social media site. Undercover officers posed as a 15-year-old girl online and arranged to meet Camargo for sex at a Village of Winneconne park.

Authorities say Camargo drove to the park where he was planning to meet with the girl and was arrested.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - News out of the state Supreme Court is a loss for the city of Green Bay.  

The high court ruling affirms a Court of Appeals win for Oneida Seven Generations Corporation.

OSGC wanted to build a waste-to-energy plant. The Green Bay city council approved the project in 2011, but changed its mind in the fall of 2012 after public opposition to the project grew.  

Seven Generations then sued the city.

The Court of Appeals said the city did not give enough evidence to stop the plan.

It’s also unclear what the future of Seven Generations is. Oneida Tribe members voted in December to dissolve the company.

No word from the city yet on what it's options are.... or what OSGC is due as far as monetary damages. 

You can read the Wisconsin Supreme Court opinion by clicking on the PDF above.

HOBART, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin's Oneida Indian nation will begin allowing same-sex marriages next month.

The tribe announced Thursday that its business committee unanimously voted in favor of the change.

Current Oneida law defines a marriage as between a "husband and wife." Starting June 10th, the code will simply allow "spouses" to be legally married.

The Oneida tribe is based near Green Bay. Same-sex marriages became legal in the Badger State last fall.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

NIAGARA, WI (WTAQ) - Authorities said streets were flooded and natural gas lines were broken as heavy rains and hail fell at Niagara in far northeast Wisconsin.

Marinette County officials told FOX 11 that the roads were re-opened about 1 a.m. Friday -- but repairs will have to be made.

The National Weather Service said the rain waters rolled down a hill and partially washed out at least one street early Thursday evening. About two hours before that, Niagara reported one-inch hail.

The Weather Service said hail fell throughout the northern tier of counties in the Badger State -- including parts of Douglas and Sawyer counties. Nickel-sized hail fell near Hayward late Thursday afternoon.

Forecasters said most of Wisconsin would be hit with two rounds of showers and thunderstorms Friday and into Saturday morning, with highs in the 70's and 80's.

Once the storms head east, a dry but much cooler weekend is expected. It might not get out of the 50's in some places Saturday. A slight warmup into the 60's is forecast for Sunday.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Two Green Bay police officers were justified in the shooting death of a man earlier this year.

Brown County District Attorney David Lasee made that determination Friday in the death of 30-year-old Joseph Biegert.

You can read the entire report here.

Back on February 24 around 7:30 p.m., officers were called to Biegert's apartment in the 1500 block of Plymouth Lane to perform a welfare check. Biegert's mom had called authorities worried that her son was suicidal and taking pills.

Lasee says as officers performed the check and a search, things escalated quickly and a struggled ensued.

"Initially he was cooperative with that, but with a short time frame, things escalated a great deal," Lasee said during a news conference. "I would say within a matter of 4 or 5 minutes after the initial contact."

Lasee went on to describe that despite the situation quickly getting out of control in the kitchen area, Green Bay police officers Matthew Dunn and Brian Krueger didn't immediately go for their guns.

"They tried hand-to-hand resources to attempt to gain control, they couldn't do so, and they attempted to deploy Tasers. That was unsuccessful, attempted to use a baton," said Lasee. "Mr. Biegert was able to gain the upper hand and ended up obtaining a knife from a butcher block that was on the counter."

Lasee says Officer Dunn did suffer a stab wound as Biegert lashed out at both cops with the knife, which then led to both Dunn and Krueger shooting and killing Biegert.

Both officers were treated and released from the hospital for their injuries.

They were put on administrative leave in the wake of the shooting. Police Chief Tom Molitor says Dunn returned to duty May 14, but Krueger is still recovering and has not returned to duty.

The state Department of Justice investigated the shooting and forwarded the results to Lasee to decide whether to file criminal charges against the officers.

MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Much of Wisconsin's spring rain fell during the past two weeks -- and as a result, drought conditions are finally starting to loosen up.

The U.S. Drought Monitor says about 68 percent of the state's land area is abnormally dry or worse, way down from around 90 percent over the past few weeks.

Almost half the state was in a moderate drought from about late March until last week. Now, there are only 3 areas with moderate droughts -- in the northern parts of Bayfield and Douglas counties -- the far western border between Durand and New Richmond, east to Menomonie -- and parts of north central Wisconsin from Minocqua to Stevens Point, east to Shawano.

Most of the northern half of the Badger State remains abnormally dry, along with virtually all of the state's eastern border along Lake Michigan.

The National Weather Service says two waves of rain and thunderstorms are moving through Wisconsin Friday morning -- and again Friday night and into Saturday, when it's supposed to get much cooler.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

LAS VEGAS (WTAQ) - The Nevada Supreme Court has thrown out a half-million dollar jury award to a man who said he was groped by a former Wisconsin priest who was transferred to Las Vegas.

The justices unanimously ruled that the Green Bay Catholic Diocese did not have enough ties to Nevada to be held liable for what John Patrick Feeney did.

The anonymous plaintiff, who's now 44, filed suit in 2008 alleging he was groped in 1984 when he was 13.

His lawyer, Jeffrey Anderson, called the Supreme Court decision a heartbreaker and a "kick in the gut."

Claims against Feeney, the Reno-Las Vegas Catholic diocese, and its bishop were dropped before the case went to trial.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

TOWN OF CENTER, WI (WTAQ)– One man is dead after a house fire in Outagamie County.

The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department was called in Friday night around 8:45 to the home at N3622 County Trunk A in the Town of Center.

Officials say a man who lived in the home was inside at the time of the fire and was confirmed dead.

Numerous agencies assisted in putting out the fire.

Officials say County Trunk A between Rock Road and Wege Road will be shut down for several hours as the investigation continues.

BLACK CREEK, WI (WTAQ) - Family members say they were about to move a well-known 78-year-old member of the Black Creek community when a home fire Friday took his life.

DuWayne “Romy” Romenesko opened Romy’s Nitingale Banquet Hall and Supper Club with his father more than five decades ago.

The fire was reported at about 8:30 p.m.

Romenesko was supposed to move into an assisted living facility Monday. Family members had visited him several times, helping him get ready for the move on Friday. 

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

LEDGEVIEW, WI (WTAQ) - A former long-time employee of Uncle Mike's Bake Shoppe has been arrested for allegedly stealing over $10,000 from the business.

According to the criminal complaint, three officers with the Brown County Sheriff's Department pretended to be customers and used marked bills to buy bakery items from cake decorator Connie Huven.

That came after owner Mary Vande Walle's son saw Huven stealing money by watching surveillance video.

“He found one of my decorators up in the till and she was waiting on customers and she’d set the money alongside the register and then give the change back to the customer and she would stick the $20 bill into her pocket,” Mary Vande Walle told FOX 11.

The complaint goes on to say the officers took Huven outside Thursday and started to ask her questions.

Officers searched Huven, found all three of the marked bills, and arrested her.

“Our trust factor totally got ruined. We trusted everybody,” Vande Walle said.

The criminal complaint says Huven admitted to officers, “I have been stealing money from my employer for a long time…somewhere between 16 to 18 months.”

“Everybody’s like family that works for us and you wouldn’t expect that from your family,” said Vande Walle.

Huven went on to say, “I knew and know that this was the wrong thing to do.”

Huven also told officers, “I steal, on average, about $40 to $80 in cash per day.”

Court documents show Huven admitted to stealing no more than $28,800 and she took the money to pay for medical and other bills.

If convicted, Huven faces up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The Green Bay Police Department says a 37-year-old man was injured in a stabbing.

Police responded to a call early Sunday at Motel 6 on Shawano Avenue.

The victim was taken to a local hospital with multiple stab wounds. His condition is unknown.

The case is under investigation. Detectives are interviewing a person of interest.

The Green Bay Police Department believes there is no danger to the community.

MENASHA, WI (WTAQ) - Hundreds of people joined hands on a pedestrian bridge in Menasha Sunday night, to move forward about a month after a gunman killed three people and himself.

Residents gathered on the Trestle Trail Bridge over Lake Butte des Morts, in what organizers called "Hands Across the Fox."  

Menasha town chairman Dale Youngquist told the crowd to "unite to reclaim" the bridge for their community.

Menasha Police Chief Tim Styka said residents have been healing over the past couple weeks, and the long chain of humanity was another step.

On May 3rd, Sergio Valencia del Toro opened fire on the bridge, shooting at random after a spat with his ex-fiancee. He killed Adam Bentdahl, Jon Stoffel, and Stoffel's 11-year-old daughter Olivia before del Toro turned the gun on himself. He also wounded Stoffel's wife Erin, who was sent home from the hospital just over a week ago.

"Hands Across the Fox" was originally scheduled for May 17th, but severe weather in the area postponed the event.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

TWO RIVERS, WI (WTAQ) - Thousands of people watched an iconic piece of history tumble to the ground.

A 230-foot smokestack was demolished by explosives Sunday at the former Fisher Hamilton plant in Two Rivers, close to Lake Michigan.

It was the final piece of a year-long demolition of what used to be Manitowoc County's largest employer.

Media reports said folks throughout Wisconsin witnessed the event in a number of public viewing areas. Some nearby establishments had block parties for folks to enjoy.

Of course, the event drew mixed emotions -- especially for former Hamilton employees and their families. Over a million square feet of factory and office space have been cleared over the past year.

The city remains optimistic that the former Fisher Hamilton site will be redeveloped successfully.

The 12-and-a-half acre site is next to Downtown Two Rivers, and it includes a quarter-mile of harbor frontage.

(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)

WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ) - A registered sex offender from Waupaca County on the lam for more than a year has been found.

According to a Facebook post from the Waupaca County Sheriff's Department, 53-year-old Phillip Rath was taken into custody and is being held in Minnesota. No other information is available.

Police say Rath cut his monitoring bracelet in April 2014 while staying at his mom's house in the Town of Dayton. Rath previously cut his bracelet two months before, but sheriff's officials say he was found within 14 hours at a home a few miles away from his residence.

In 1993, Rath was convicted of sexually assaulting a child and was required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Last September, charges were filed against Rath in connection with his latest disappearance.

OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) - A weekend armed robbery suspect is being sought by the Oshkosh Police Department.

Police say 30-year-old Carlton L. Evans is suspected in an armed robbery that happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the 800 block of Merritt Avenue.

Authorities describe Evans as 5'10", 225 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Evans lives in Oshkosh but police say he could be in the Milwaukee area.

Evans is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, you should call 911 immediately and give the location. Do not try to contact him yourself.

Anyone who knows where Evans is may call Oshkosh police at (920) 236-5700. Anonymous tips can be left with Winnebago County Wide Crime Stoppers by phone at (920) 231-8477, by text message with the keyword IGOTYA at 274637 or online.

MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) - One of the four suspects involved in a Marinette County police chase has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Harley Whitmore was also put on extended supervision for 3 years on Friday, according to online court records. Whitmore was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and aiding a felon.

A plea hearing is scheduled June 15 for Kendra Krueger on two charges, including theft. Derrick Whitmore will be sentenced the next day on four counts, including recklessly endangering safety, burglary, arson and several other charges.

A trial is also set for October 27 for Christopher Whitmore on 27 counts, including recklessly endangering safety and burglary.

All four suspects were involved in a high speed chase that ended in Middle Inlet back in December.