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Man killed and police officer wounded in Clark County standoff

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We are learning a Loyal man who barricaded himself inside his home that led to an overnight standoff with police was shot and killed after he fired shots at deputies who were trying to apprehend him.

The State Justice Department’s Division of Criminal Investigation has now taken over the case involving 77-year-old Robert Domine, who fired upon officers as they entered his Loyal home early Friday morning. Domine’s bullets struck the bullet-proof vest of a Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy, who did receive minor non-life-threatening injuries. Domine was then shot and killed by a Marathon County Sheriff’s Deputy. That officer is now on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a state-led investigation.

Officers spent nearly two full days tracking Domine through Clark County, after he eluded officers Wednesday morning when they tried arresting him on an outstanding Taylor County warrant. He escaped on foot to a wooded area south of Loyal, where he apparently spent Wednesday evening. By Thursday afternoon, Domine was back inside his Loyal residence, where the standoff began.

Officers eventually deployed tear gas canisters into the home early this morning, and the exchange of gunfire ensued shortly after that.

Sheriff’s departments from Clark, Marathon and Eau Claire Counties responded, along with police departments from Loyal, Greenwood and Marshfield. Police Chief Rick Gramza sent his city’s special response team and their armored vehicle to assist.

The Division of Criminal Investigation is still collecting evidence at the scene to determine the facts of the case, and will turn over investigative reports to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office when the investigation concludes.

WDLB

Frank Abagnale on how to avoid getting scammed

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AARP Wisconsin brought Frank Abagnale to Madison on Thursday, to talk about how not be be a victim of scam artists. As a young man, Abagnale was a successful scammer himself.

“Most of all these scams are the same scams that have been going on for 50, 60 years. The difference is the technology that has made it so much easier to do and so much more convincing. To be able to manipulate peoples’ caller IDs and phone numbers, to be able to do the crime from thousands of miles away, from India, from China, from Russia.”

Abagnale, whose career as a con-man was depicted in the movie “Catch Me If You Can” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, said people continue to get taken advantage of by scammers, because they’re basically honest.

“Once you kind of educate people and give them the proper tools, they’re smart enough to protect themselves. But you can’t rely on the police, you can’t rely on the government, you can’t rely on the bank to protect you. You today have to be a smarter consumer, a wiser business person than you did 20 years ago, so you really have to educate yourself to protect yourself.

Abagnale is now a cybersecurity and fraud prevention expert,  and has been an adviser to the FBI for over 40 years.

Kenosha County brothers accused of running THC vape ’empire’

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A pair of Kenosha County brothers are accused of operating an “empire of illegal drugs” in southeast Wisconsin. In all, authorities estimated they seized THC vaping products with a street value of $1.5 million. During a Wednesday press conference, Sheriff David Beth said the operation allegedly run by 20-year-old Tyler Huffhines and 23-year-old Jacob Huffhines, was one largest drug operations of this type he’s seen in Kenosha County, and he believed it may be one of the largest in the country.

At a Paddock Lake home where the brothers lived, investigators found $59,000, guns and ammunition, cocaine, marijuana, Xanax pills, cellphones, and much more. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg in this operation,” Beth said. Investigators said the operation was based out of a condo in the Town of Bristol. At that location, they found 31,200 vape cartridges already filled and ready to be shipped out. Each contained one gram of THC. They also found approximately 98,000 cartridges that were unfilled. Investigators also located 57 mason jars filled with THC oil — each jar was valued at roughly $6,000. In all, authorities estimated they seized THC products with a street value of $1.5 million. a second residence in the Town of Bristol.

Waukesha Police Captain Dan Baumann said the investigation began in early July, when a mother and father brought their high school-aged son to his department. The parents told police they wanted to hold their son accountable for allegedly distributing vaping cartridges with THC in area high schools. With the help of the parents, investigators ended up in Kenosha County, where the Huffhines were arrested. The brothers both face an extensive list of charges.

AG Josh Kaul not satisfied with Purdue Pharma settlement

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Wisconsin is not part of a tentative settlement between Purdue Pharma and 22 states that sued the company over its role in the opioid crisis. The Washington Post reports that an executive committee of attorneys representing cities, counties and other groups in a federal lawsuit is recommending the deal be accepted.

But some state attorneys general, who sued Purdue and its owners, the Sackler family are not on board. That includes Wisconsin’s Josh Kaul, who releasded the following:

“The Sackler family has made billions of dollars from the sale of opioids. Wisconsin has alleged that two Purdue Pharma entities and Richard Sackler contributed to the opioid epidemic through unlawful conduct. We’re committed to getting justice and, in my view, Purdue’s current position doesn’t achieve that.”

The co-chairs of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, Representative John Nygren and Senator Alberta Darling, also released a statement:

“Through media reports, the attorney general stated Wisconsin is not one of the states agreeing to settle the Purdue Pharma case at this time.

We hope those reporters have signed non-disclosure agreements, because they are getting ‘confidential’ information from the attorney general that he refused to share with members of the Joint Committee on Finance.

It’s clear the attorney general did not need signed secrecy agreements to share case information. Now we know there wasn’t an ’emergency’ settlement to present to the committee two weeks ago. The attorney general should stop playing games, follow the law, and work with the Joint Committee on Finance.”

Kaul and the JFC co-chairs are currently involved in a dispute over lawsuit settlements. A law passed during last December’s lame-duck session requires the AG to get the approval for settlements from the Joint Finance Committee – but there is no process in place determining how that would work.

The Post reports that under terms of a plan negotiated for months, the Sacklers would relinquish control of Stamford, Conn.-based Purdue Pharma. The company would declare bankruptcy and be resurrected as a trust whose main purpose would be to combat the opioid epidemic.

Reward offered for Avery’s ‘real killer’

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Convicted killer Steve Avery’s attorney has announced a 100-thousand dollar reward is being offered in the case. Kathleen Zellner represents Avery, who along with his nephew Brendan Dassey are in prison for there convictions in the October 2005 murder of Theresa Halbach.

Zellner posted on Twitter over the weekend that the reward Is being offered by a “concerned citizen” for the arrest and conviction of Halbach’s “real killer.” Last month a judge denied Avery’s request for a new trial. He’s serving a life sentence with no chance for parole.

Tips should be called in to (630)847-3733

WOMT

Attorneys for Cephus’ accusers say their clients have been threatened on social media

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Quintez Cephus WRN photo

Lawyers for the two women who accused a Wisconsin Badger football player of rape say their clients are concerned for their safety due to social media backlash. Quintez Cephus was cleared by a jury of the charges and has rejoined the football team.

The lawyers are calling for an investigation into the school’s decision to reinstate Cephus after his acquittal. They say university officials should consider how their public comments might impact the two women and the student sexual assault survivors on the U-W campus. Social media posts have called for the rape, expulsion and even death of the women.

State justice officials warn citizens against vigilante online pedophile stings

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The state department of justice is warning people against taking part in vigilante online stings for suspected pedophiles.

Internet Crimes Against Children director Matthew Joy says these stings often focus on naming and shaming people, rather than gathering useful information for police. 

“It limits what law enforcement and prosecutors can do with respect to that information and successful prosecution.”

Joy says it can also be dangerous for people taking part. It’s best to let the police handle these things.

“If you see something, it’s so critically important to report that information so that we law enforcement can ensure the safety of folks in our communities.”

 

Long prison term for killer of Sandra Parks

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A man convicted in the death of a Milwaukee girl has gotten a lengthy prison term. Isaac Barnes, 27, one of two men charged in the shooting death of 13-year-old Sandra Parks, was sentenced  Friday to nearly 51 years in prison, and another 25 years of extended supervision. He had changed his initial plea to guilty.

Sandra was killed when a bullet entered her home last November. Her death gained national attention due to a Martin Luther King Day essay she wrote – about gun violence.

New leads sought in decade old disappearance

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Hope for new leads, in a decade old disappearance. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office in northwest Wisconsin has posted a video to Facebook, highlighting the search for Rose Marie Bly, who left her home near St. Croix Falls on August 21, 2009.

Her car was found five days later in Grantsburg. The mother of two young children has not been seen since. Anyone with information is asked to call 715-485-8300.

State Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly ticketed after traffic crash

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Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly received a ticket, following a collision that sent two people to the hospital. The Journal Sentinel reports that Kelly failed to yield August 9 at the intersection of Highways E and ZZ in Waukesha County.

Kelly told a sheriff’s deputy he didn’t see a van coming and he hit it, according to an accident report. Two people in the van were taken to a hospital, and the driver thinks they’d be dead, if not for air bags and seat belts.

The crash happened near Kelly’s home in North Prairie. He was given a ticket for $389.50 for failing to yield at a stop sign in an accident that caused bodily harm, according to online court records. A court hearing is scheduled for September 25.