A robbery suspect in Waushara County is dead following a nearly 9 hour ordeal Wednesday afternoon and night. He’s been identified as 33- year-old Timothy R. Pawlacyk of Redgranite.
The sheriff’s department says it started with the armed robbery of CHN Pharmacy in Wautoma around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators say Pawlacyk demanded oxycontin. After he left, sheriff’s deputies were able to intercept his vehicle, but Pawlacyk led them on a chase in and around Wautoma. At one point a deputy fired at the vehicle to get it to stop, but was not successful. The car eventually got stuck in a construction zone, and Pawlacyk fled on foot into a vacant house, where he exchanged more shots with officers.
Pawlacyk remained barricaded in the home while as many as 9 area law enforcement agencies responded, including the Waupaca and Winnebago County SWAT teams. Many of the neighboring homes were evacuated. Around 11:00 p.m. a SWAT team was sent into the home, and Pawlacyk was found in the basement, dead from a gunshot wound. Investigators are trying to determine if the gunshot was self-inflicted, or came from one of the officers.
Jack Barry, WDUX