There were two more major stolen vehicle crashes over the weekend in Madison.

Police spokesman Joel DeSpain says in one case, a thirteen year old driver crashed into a light pole and bailed on a burning car, leaving his two friends inside to be arrested. 

“Lo and behold, while we were at the hospital with them, the driver shows up, though he’s claiming at this point that he was in a bicycle crash and he wasn’t driving a car. Which our police officers astutely believed was not the truth.”

In another case, a stolen car was stopped using stop sticks on John Nolen Drive on the way to the Capitol.

DeSpain says they see the same groups of youths all the time. 

“You know, we’ve been making a lot of arrests, but the problem is that there doesn’t seem to be something in the system right now that’s a deterrent that’s working to keeping these kids from repeating this criminal behavior.”

People need to stop making it easy for thieves, says DeSpain.

“Lock the car when it’s warming up at the very least, or just go to work in a cold car. Because these young people have shown that they’re not quitting at this point.”

‘Tis the season to drive sober. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” holiday campaign begins Friday and runs through January 1st.

Motorists will see an increase in officers on the road during the stepped-up enforcement efforts – 6,000 will be out across the state, and in addition to 300 drug recognition experts.

The consequences of impaired driving in Wisconsin are well documented – in 2018, 159 people died in alcohol-related crashes on Wisconsin roads and more than 3,000 people were injured.

Prosecutors say a 16-year-old Oshkosh boy stabbed a school police officer at Oshkosh West High School with a two-pronged barbecue fork. Grant Fuhrman is charged with attempted murder in Winnebago County. A court commissioner set Fuhrman’s bond at $1 million during a court hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Prosecutors say Fuhrman admitted to attacking Officer Michael Wissink, in Wissink’s office, last Tuesday morning. They say the teen wanted to get Wissink’s gun, and started planning the stabbing the night before.

He’s accused of trying to distract Wissink, by asking the officer to look up his fine for shooting at cars with a BB gun earlier this year. Wissink told investigators he was at a computer, with Fuhrman behind him, when Fuhrman started stabbing him in the neck, head, and shoulder area.

Prosecutors say Wissink shot Fuhrman once, and also accidentally shot himself in the forearm.

Wissink was released from ThedaCare’s Neenah hospital on Monday.

Prosecutors say Fuhrman also posted a picture on Snapchat around 2 a.m. last Tuesday, with the message “Today’s the Day.” It also had an emoji of a smiling face, with devil horns.

WHBY

An 18 year-old Waukesha South High School student faces multiple charges in last week’s gun incident at the school. Tyrone Smith made his initial court appearance on Monday, shortly after he was medically cleared and released from a hospital for gunshot wounds he received after allegedly brandishing a pellet gun in the school.

A the criminal complaint says Smith denied bringing guns to school prior to last Monday, and that ” he was tired of being picked on by other students.” Smith said “he thought other kids would hear about this and be scared,” and that he was sorry and knew it was wrong, according to FOX 6 News. He’s due back in court next week for a preliminary hearing.

The 16-year-old accused of attacking Oshkosh West High School’s resource officer with a knife will remain jailed until further notice. A judge on Friday ordered the young man held without bail until he can make an appearance in court. The sheriff in Oshkosh is asking that no one name the teen. In fact, prosecutors are holding back some court documents to keep his name and details of the attack out of the news.

The Madison Metropolitan School District is looking into what’s being called an incident with a possible pellet gun on a Badger Bus route Tuesday. The principal of Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Dr. Tequila Kurth, sent out a letter to parents informing them of what occurred.

Kurth said a student who was getting off the bus was struck by what “may have been a pellet fired from what, based on the description, may be a pellet gun.” She said the family of the student who was hit called the school after it happened.

The school said while it’s not believed the student meant to hurt anyone, the incident is being taken seriously. The Madison Police Department was contacted.

WIBA

There’s been a second school shooting in two days at a Wisconsin high school. Oshkosh police are confirming that an armed student and a school resource officer were injured Tuesday morning, after the officer confronted the student at Oshkosh West High School, which is on lock down.

The incident comes one day after an armed student was shot at Waukesha South High School. Parents are being reunited with their kids at Perry Tipler Middle School.

Police say a student brought a gun to Waukesha South High School Monday morning, and was shot after pointing at responding offciers. Police Chief Russell Jack said the shooting happened just before 10 a.m.

He said the suspect is a 17-year-old male who was taken to the hospital, and that no one else was injured. A gun was recovered at the scene. The school resource officer is an 11 year veteran of the Waukesha Police Department.

Jack said police are not looking for anyone else in connection to the shooting. Students have been sent home.

Giving Tuesday is here, but before you find a cause to donate to, make sure it’s a good one.

State consumer protection administrator Michelle Reinen says you have to be careful with efforts you see on social media or Go Fund Me.

“It’s not regulated in the same fashion, necessarily, as when you are giving to a nationally recognized and well known established charity.”

Reinen says you should research your charity online with Charity Navigator or Give.org. 

“So again, you can be comfortable with the funds you give to them if it aligns with what you expect or desire that charity do with the funds.”

Sadly, Giving Tuesday is also a chance for scammers to try and get some of your money. Reinen says one common scam is people calling you up to say you’re getting a gift or a grant or some other sort of donation. All you have to do, is pay for the so called processing fees or turn over personal data.

“And then you never see the thing you were enticed with: that grant or that gift card. But yet you’ve handed over all your personal information, and that has incredible value.”

As usual, if someone’s trying to sell you something or offer you something out of the blue over the phone, get it in writing first and then decide if you want anything to do with it.