Have a Safe New Year Celebration

The Sturgeon Bay Police Department would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

As you take the time to celebrate the past and future, we ask that in your celebrations, please do not drink and drive.  SBPD is participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.  

It is our hope, we don't have to arrest anyone for drunk driving this coming holiday weekend.  Please, take a taxi or use a designated driver, but do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking.  Your safety and the public's safety is important to us.  Thank you!

Michigan St Bridge Closing for Repair

Alert

Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Northeast Regional Office, 944 Vanderperren Way, Green Bay, WI 54304 Phone: 920/492-5623 FAX: 920/492-5640 www.wisconsindot.gov

Release date: December 29, 2016

For more information, contact:

Mark Kantola, Regional Communications Manager

Mark.Kantola@dot.wi.gov, (920) 492-4153

Long-term closure of Michigan Street Bridge in Door County begins Jan. 3 

WisDOT to repair beams damaged in vehicle strike

(Sturgeon Bay) The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Northeast Region office announces the Michigan Street Bridge in Sturgeon Bay, Door County, will close to vehicle and pedestrian traffic at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 3 and reopen Friday, January 20. The daily closures are necessary to repair nine bridge beams damaged in a vehicle strike. The bridge will continue to open for marine traffic while repairs take place. Detour signs will direct motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians to use the Maple/Oregon Street Bridge to cross the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. The Bayview Bridge is another alternate route to consider during the repair work.

A semi-truck towing a backhoe struck multiple overhead support beams on Friday, April 22. Maintenance crews closed the bridge to all traffic, inspected the damage, and reopened the bridge the following day.

WisDOT Bureau of Structures engineers, Northeast Region bridge engineers and Door County Highway Department staff will be conducting the repairs on the bridge’s east span. The repairs will cost approximately $200,000. The driver of the semi towing the backhoe which struck the bridge is responsible for all repair costs.

Repairs consist of cutting the damaged beams out and bolting new beams in place. Due to the age of the beams, WisDOT used 3-dimensional imaging technology (LiDAR) to create specifications for prefabrication of new beams to exactly replicate the damaged beams. An off-site facility prefabricated the replacement parts and transported them to Sturgeon Bay for repair when the shipping season ended. Repairing the bridge in winter lessens the impact for marine and motor vehicle traffic. Engineers plan to heat-straighten, in place, one of the nine beams. All of the repair work is weather dependent.

For daily construction information or changes to construction schedules for this project and all WisDOT Northeast Region construction project, please follow the Northeast Region Twitter account at https://twitter.com/WisDOTnortheast.

Shoplifting Leads to Heroin & Meth Arrest

On December 27 at 4:40pm, police were sent to Target for a shoplifting suspect in custody.  Target had detained a 39 year old male from Sturgeon Bay, who was caught stealing over $250 worth of jewelry items.  The suspect had a prior theft record, so he was arrested for a misdemeanor charge of retail theft and taken to jail.



During the search of the suspect, he was found to be in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Preliminary field tests indicate the drugs were heroin, methamphetamine and prescription pain medication.  Drug paraphernalia included syringes, a spoon and grinders.

The drug related charges were felonies, and the suspect was held in jail until an appearance before a judge.  The case has been sent to the DA's Office.  

OWI Arrests

On December 24 at 2:45am, police stopped a vehicle for operating left of the center of the road.  The driver, a 24 year old male from Sturgeon Bay, smelled of alcohol and was slurring his speech.  Field Sobriety tests indicated the driver was impaired.  Prior to his arrest, the driver attempted to run from the scene on foot, but was quickly apprehended by the officer.  The driver was arrested for his 1st offense OWI, and received additional citations for operating left of center and resisting/interfering with an officer.


On December 24 at 12:16pm, officers were investigating a reckless driver complaint where the suspect vehicle had struck a mailbox on Duluth Ave near Hickory St and continued driving.  Police found the vehicle had struck another mailbox outside of the city and drove into the ditch.  The driver, a 30 year old male from Sturgeon Bay, was found to be intoxicated.  The driver refused to complete field sobriety tests, telling the officers, "I'm drunk."  The driver was arrested for OWI-1st offense, as he had no prior convictions.  The driver was also cited for hit and run and failure to have control of his vehicle.  Police would note, this driver was arrested by city police for OWI-1st offense on November 27, with that case pending in the courts.  If he is found guilty of that incident, the December 24 arrest will be amended to an OWI-2nd offense.

Theft of Purse is Solved

On December 20, police were notified by an Econo Foods customer she had accidentally left her purse in a shopping cart.  The purse contained personal items, including credit cards, which now had some unauthorized charges on them at Sturgeon Bay area businesses.

Police were able to use video surveillance from the businesses to locate and identify the suspect, an 18 year old female from Sturgeon Bay.  The suspect admitted to coming into possession of the purse, and taking the credit card to make the unauthorized purchases.  The suspect still had the purse and some of the contents, which police retrieved and will return to the rightful owner.

Due to the financial nature of this case, it has been referred to the DA's Office for consideration of criminal charges for theft, unauthorized use of an individuals' personal identifying information or documents and forgery (signing the owner's name on the credit card transaction).

Parking Lot Fight

Just after 6:00pm on December 23, police were sent to Wal-Mart's parking lot for a fight between two females.  When police arrived, one of the females had already fled the scene, and was located later.

The investigation found the two females were yelling and swearing at each other in the entrance of the store.  Wal-Mart kicked the two women out of the store for the disturbance being created.  As the one female returned to her vehicle, she was approached by the second female and punched in the face.  The two females began fighting each other, throwing punches and pulling hair.

Neither female, both 32 years old, wanted to press charges and one of them sustained a swollen eye.  Due to the public nature of the disturbance, which was witnessed by other customers, each received an ordinance citation for disorderly conduct.

Merry Christmas

The staff of the Sturgeon Bay Police Department 

would like to wish everyone a 

Merry Christmas!

As you spend time with family and friends this holiday season, may your travels be safe and your Christmas filled with the blessings of peace, hope, joy and love!

Wal-Mart Shoplifter Caught

Sturgeon Bay Police have been investigating several shoplifting incidents involving the same suspect and Wal-Mart.

On December 9, the suspect stole a $100 car stereo system, by removing it from the box and hiding it with his jacket, as he left the store.  On December 17, the suspect stole a pair of boots and men's clothing item.  Wal-Mart video surveillance captured the crimes.

Police were able to identify the suspect as a 50 year old male from Sturgeon Bay, who happened to be on probation.  On December 20, the suspect was arrested for the retail theft, taken to the Door County Jail and issued two misdemeanor citations for his actions.  In addition to the new charges, the suspect was placed on a probation hold by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.  
 

Pedestrians Hit in Crosswalk

On December 21 at approximately 1:43pm, two pedestrians were struck by a vehicle on N 3rd Ave @ Michigan St.  The two pedestrians were in a marked crosswalk, when a vehicle began to turn onto N 3rd Ave from Michigan St, and did not see the pedestrians.

One pedestrian was uninjured and another pedestrian suffered an injury to their lower leg, requiring an ambulance trip to the hospital.  The driver of the vehicle was uninjured and there was no damage to the vehicle.

The vehicle driver, a 49 year old male from DePere, was issued a citation for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

ICE BREAKING in Shipping Channels

The Sturgeon Bay Police Department will be posting notices when ice breaking operations occur.  

Any outdoor enthusiasts should use extreme caution while on the ice.

Wal-Mart Shoplifter Caught

On December 12, a 20 year old female from Algoma was cited for retail theft from Wal-Mart.  The female had taken some clothing items, concealed them and attempted to leave the store.  Security had been watching the suspect and stopped her after she left the store, and police were contacted.  The merchandise taken was returned to the store.  

Congratulations to Sgt. Albertson

The Sturgeon Bay Police Department would like to congratulate Sgt. Jason Albertson on completing his certification in Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO).  Chief Arleigh Porter is committed to this training and sends all Patrol Sergeants to the course.

LPO is provided by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and is their most requested career development training.  LPO uses a behavioral science approach to leading people, groups and organizations. The course is based on material developed for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. LPO is focused on cultivating leaders at all levels of the organization and is highly interactive. Small group case studies, videos and class exercises are used to reinforce learning. The three-week course is taught one week a month over three months.  Sgt. Albertson's course was taught at the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy at Ft. McCoy and concluded on December 9.

Best Wishes to Officer South

The Sturgeon Bay Police Department would like to thank Officer Steven South for his 13 years of service to the department and citizens of Sturgeon Bay.

We wish him the best in his new job with Catholic Charities, where he will continue to serve and help others.



 

Protect Kids Online

Parents looking to protect your children from online activity...we recommend the Wisconsin Department of Justice's ICAC Task Force podcasts, Protect Kids Online.

One of the podcast presenters is a former Sturgeon Bay Police Officer, Carl Waterstreet.  Waterstreet is a Special Agent for the Department of Justice.  

Information on the podcasts are available at:
https://www.doj.state.wi.us/dci/icac/online-safety-tips-parents

WBAY recently did a story on the podcasts, which can be viewed at: http://wbay.com/2016/12/15/doj-launches-podcasts-helping-parents-keep-up-with-kids-technology/

Shoplifter caught

Target contacted police on December 5 for a shoplifter in custody.  Police found a 48 year old female from Brussels had concealed a clothing item and left the store.  Store security has been watching the suspect and immediately stopped her upon her leaving the store.

The suspect admitted to wanting to steal the shirt, as she had no money to purchase the item.  For her actions, an ordinance citation for shoplifting/retail theft was issued to the suspect.    

Bail Jumping for Alcohol Violations

On November 30, police received information that a 31 year old male from Sturgeon Bay, was intoxicated and in violation of his felony bond conditions to maintain absolute sobriety.  Police located the male and confirmed he was intoxicated.  The male was arrested for felony bail jumping and taken to the Door County Jail to wait an appearance before a judge.

On December 4, police made contact with a 59 year old male from Sturgeon Bay who was in public and appeared intoxicated based on his behavior.  Police knew the male was under a court order to maintain absolute sobriety as part of his felony bond conditions for his 4th offense OWI charge.  It was confirmed the male had been drinking alcohol, and he was arrested for felony bail jumping.

This same male had left a threatening message for the city officer that arrested him on his OWI charge.  In addition to the bail jumping charge, the threat incident was referred to the DA's Office for a misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of a communication system to threaten harm.  

Alcohol Leads to Bad Decision

On December 3 at 4:40 am, police were dispatched to a residence in Thunderhill Estates for a hit and run accident that caused property damage.  The suspect, a 19 year old male from Brussels, had gotten into a fight with other people at the residence and fled the scene, striking an unoccupied parked vehicle.

Door County Deputies located the suspect who was heading back to his residence.  The suspect had been drinking alcohol and Door County Sheriff handled the alcohol violations and probation hold arrest.

Sturgeon Bay Police cited the suspect for an ordinance violation of disorderly conduct and traffic violations for hit and run and failure to report an accident.

Road Rage Results in Citation

On the evening of December 2, police were dispatched to an accident/road rage incident.  One party claimed a truck following her had bumped into the back of her vehicle and the driver of the truck was yelling and swearing profanities at her.  The driver had her children in the car, who became scared by what happened.    

The driver of the truck denied hitting the back of the other vehicle and was upset at the other vehicles driving.  The driver of the truck admitted to yelling and swearing at the other driver.  

Police found no damage to either vehicle.  The driver of the truck, a 63 year old male from Sturgeon Bay, was issued an ordinance citation for disorderly conduct.  

Domestic Incidents

Incident #1: Police were sent to an east side home on December 1, just after 10:00 pm for a disorderly male. The 48 year old male was yelling and swearing at other occupants of the home, and attempted to kick in a bedroom door where one of the occupants had retreated to.  The male was arrested for domestic related Disorderly Conduct, and taken to the Door County Jail.

Incident #2: On December 2 at 8:15 pm, officers were sent to an east side home for a report of a women pleading for her life, as heard by neighbors. The investigation revealed the 20 year old male occupant was upset at his girlfriend.  During the argument, the male threw the girlfriend to the ground, injuring her hand, and broke some property.  The male was arrested for domestic related Disorderly Conduct and Battery and taken to jail.  The male had been drinking alcohol and was also cited for consumption of alcohol underage.

Street Light Damaged

On the morning of December 1, police took a report that a street light on N 18th Ave @ Iowa St was damaged and laying in a yard. The evidence showed an unknown vehicle had driven off the road, and struck the light pole, causing it to break.  Evidence indicates the vehicle continued west on Iowa St after striking the pole.  In talking with neighbors, the street light was first found damaged at 10:30pm on November 30.    

Police are looking for the public's help in locating the suspect vehicle, which should have front end damage.  Police want to identify the owner of the vehicle, so they can be held accountable and pay for the replacement cost of the street light.

We would gladly accept a phone call from the driver themselves, if their conscience is bothering them.  Otherwise, anyone with information on the identity of the vehicle can contact the police department at (920) 746-2450.

UPDATED on Dec 3 to reflect damage first found at 10:30pm, and not 11:30pm.