Alcohol & Decision Making Often Causes Problems

Drinking too much alcohol continues to lead to poor decision making.

On January 27 at 10:21pm, police stopped a vehicle for traveling 47 mph on Egg Harbor Rd near 12th Ave, which is posted as a 25 mph zone.  The driver, a 23 year old male from Fish Creek, had a strong odor of intoxicants.  Field sobriety tests revealed signs of impairment and the driver was arrested for OWI-1st offense and taken to jail.  A citation for speeding was  issued as well.  The two underage passengers (20 yr old and 19 yr old) in the vehicle were found to have been consuming alcohol, and they were issued citations for underage alcohol consumption.

On January 27 at 11:40pm, police were sent to the Red Room for a person who broke a business window and fled the scene.  The suspect was located on the west side of the city running home by another officer.  An investigation revealed the suspect had a fresh cut on his hand and was the person responsible for the damage.  The suspect, a 23 year old male from Sturgeon Bay, was intoxicated and arrested for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.  Restitution for the broken window will be requested through the court system.  


If you need assistance with any drinking concerns or know of someone you needs help with an addition, please contact Door County Human Services at 920-746-7155 and request to speak to someone in the AODA department.

A list of Door and Kewaunee County AA meetings can be found at Door/Kewaunee County AA group.

Police Help an Intoxicated Person Only to Arrest Them an Hour Later

On January 28, at 7:21 pm, police were called to the Brick Lot for an upset patron who was refused service for being intoxicated and disruptive to other customers.  It was determined the person's actions did not justify a citation, but to remove them from the situation, police offered to give the patron a ride to a friend's house in the city.  Upon being dropped off at the residence, they were told they could not drive and their vehicle could remain parked downtown.

At 8:23pm, police were dispatched to a two vehicle accident in the 700 block of Jefferson St.  The officer found the same person who they had helped out an hour earlier, had returned to get their vehicle.  While traveling up Jefferson St, the driver, a 26 year old female from Sister Bay, was tailgating the vehicle in front of them and struck the other vehicle. Thankfully, no one was hurt in either vehicle.

However, the driver of the second vehicle was known to be intoxicated and failed field sobriety tests. She was arrested for OWI-1st offense and taken to jail.  Open alcohol containers were visible in the vehicle and a search also turned up a small amount of marijuana.  In addition to the OWI citation, the driver was cited for reckless driving, following too close, non-registration of a vehicle, operating a vehicle without insurance, open intoxicants and possession of marijuana.

Michigan Street Bridge is OPEN!!!

The Michigan Street Bridge is back open!

The clearance height of the bridge remains at 13' 6". 

All vehicles over that height are asked to use the Maple-Oregon Street Bridge or the Bayview Bridge.  

Thank you!

Mailboxes Damaged

Sturgeon Bay Police have taken numerous reports this morning of mailboxes having been damaged over night in the 900-1600 block of Cove Rd.  As of now, 13 mailboxes are known to have been damaged.  Evidence indicates a baseball bat or other large object would have been used to damage the mailboxes.  One yard light was also damaged.  

Anyone with information on the suspect(s) is asked to contact the police department at 746-2450.  A cash reward is possible if the tip leads to the identification and conviction of the person(s) who did this damage.  By holding the suspect(s) accountable, the affected homeowners can get reimbursed for the cost to replace their mailboxes.

OWI Arrests

On January 20 at 2:45am, police stopped a vehicle for a headlight out.  The driver, a 41 year old female from Sturgeon Bay, reported knowing the headlight was burnt out from being stopped by police earlier in the week, but she did not get it fixed.  Police detected a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the driver, and field sobriety tests showed she was impaired.  The driver was arrested for OWI-2nd offense and taken to jail.  This is a criminal traffic offense and the case will be referred to the DA's Office.


On January 22 at 1:19am, police stopped a vehicle for speeding on S Neenah Ave.  The driver, a 27 yr old male from Minnesota, smelled of alcohol and field sobriety tests showed he was impaired.  The driver was arrested for OWI-1st offense and taken to jail.

Inhalant Abuse Information

On January 18, Sturgeon Bay officers arrested a mother for providing nitrous oxide to her 6 year old daughter.  Information on the arrest can be found at:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/door-co/news/2017/01/20/da-sturgeon-bay-woman-gave-nitrous-oxide-child/96795014/

We would like to share several links to the public to educate themselves about inhalant abuse and the dangers associated with it.

        https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/inhalants

        https://teens.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/inhalantsrrs.pdf

The National Institute of Drug Abuse maintains the website, which has sections devoted to educating parents, as well as children/teens.

Locally, people can contact Door County Human Services at 746-7155 to speak with someone about drug abuse and getting help in fighting this addiction.

Use Extra Caution This Morning

Please use extra caution this morning.  The Street Department has done an excellent job of salting the roads, but streets are still icy. Do no drive unless you have to and if you must go out, slow done and take your time, especially at intersections, hills and curves.

Parking lots and sidewalks are glare ice.  Avoid a fall and stay inside until the temperature and salt can melt some of the ice.  THANK YOU!

Alcohol Leads to Bad Choices

OWI Arrest:  On January 8 after 9:00pm, police were dispatched to Division Rd for a vehicle in the ditch.  The driver, a 32 year old female from Sturgeon Bay, was found to be impaired.  She initially denied driving and stated her husband was driving, but he was not at the scene.  Police were able to confirm she was the driver, and she refused to complete field sobriety tests, telling the officer she "would not pass."  The driver was arrested for OWI-2nd offense and obstructing an officer.  Traffic citations for operating with a revoked license (2nd offense) and non-registration of a vehicle were also issued.

Bar Fight:   On January 11 at 10:20pm, police were sent to Cherry Lanes for a fight with someone displaying a knife.  Different versions of the incident were given to the police to sort out, but it was alleged a 52 year old female hit a 31 year old male.  While the male was being escorted out of the bar, the male allegedly displayed a folding knife.    Both the female and male were issued misdemeanor citations for disorderly conduct.  The case has been referred to the DA's Office.

Door County Partnership....A Great Resource for our Community

The Sturgeon Bay Police Department is proud to be a partner of this great organization.  We encourage all parents and families to check out their website at http://doorcountyparents.com/

DC Partnership maintains an updated list of community resources that is kept on the Door County Public Library's website.  The list is all encompassing covering education, emergency/crisis needs, employment, food/clothing, health, housing, senior needs, transportation and non-profit agencies. Please check out the link at http://doorcountylibrary.org/community_resources

Starting in 2017, Sturgeon Bay Police Officers will be carrying business cards with these websites to hand out to parents and families looking for assistance and help.  This is another step in achieving the department's mission of working "in partnership with the community to ensure a safe, nurturing environment" in Sturgeon Bay!  

Thank you for your support...

The Sturgeon Bay Police Department would like to thank everyone for supporting your police officers who proudly serve the citizens and community of Sturgeon Bay.  

The mission of the Sturgeon Bay Police Department is to serve, protect, and work in partnership with the community to ensure a safe, nurturing environment.

Starting in 2015, January 9 was designated as a National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day by the organization C.O.P.S.. They provide services and support to survivors and co-workers affected by the line-of-duty deaths of officers. Information about C.O.P.S. can be found at https://www.nationalcops.org/



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Driver Report of Crash form goes online

Under Wisconsin law, a motor vehicle crash must be reported when it results in:

• Injury or death of a person.
• $1,000 or more in damage to any one person's vehicle or property.
• Damage of $200 or more in state or other government-owned property other than a vehicle.  

If the Sturgeon Bay Police Department is contacted at the time of the accident, the law enforcement officer who responds will complete the crash report.  If a reportable accident was called in after the fact, police would hand the driver a paper form to self report the accident.  

Effective January 1, 2017, the WI DOT ended the self reporting paper form and have gone to an electronic form for the Driver Report of Crash.  The form can be accessed at wisconsindot.gov/Pages/safety/crsh-rpt/default.aspx.  

"The change of the Driver Report of Crash to an exclusively online form will save both time and resources.  It also will help WisDOT efficiently collect crash information and data, which are critical for planning enforcement, education and engineering strategies to improve traffic safety," says David Pabst of the WisDOT Bureau of Traffic Safety.

The electronic form can be done on a smart phone as well as a computer with internet connection.  For those that do not have access to either, the DOT advises drivers to utilize their local public library, where computer access is free and available to everyone.    

The below card is what Sturgeon Bay officers will hand out to drivers who need to self-report accidents.  

Domestic Call Leads to Drug Investigation

On the afternoon of December 29, 2016, Sturgeon Bay Police took a domestic abuse report which occurred at a residence on the west side of the city.  The male suspect, a 38 year old male from Sturgeon Bay, had grabbed the victim by her hair and punched her several times.  Police located the suspect at the residence and arrested him for domestic battery and disorderly conduct.  The male was currently out on felony bond from another case, and was also charged with felony bail jumping.  The male was taken to the Door County Jail and lodged until an appearance before a judge could be arranged.

During the domestic investigation, it was learned a marijuana grow was occurring at the residence. Sturgeon Bay Police contacted the Door-Kewaunee Drug Task Force for assistance.  A search warrant was obtained to gather the evidence.  The drug investigation has been turned over to the Task Force.

Some of the evidence seized.

Respect Other's Property - Don't Steal

At the end of December, police were notified that a 97 year old resident of a community based residential facility might be the victim of a theft.  Through an investigative operation, police identified the suspect as an employee of the facility.  The suspect, a 39 year old female from Kewaunee, was stealing money from the residents wallet that was kept in a dresser.  The suspect was arrested and admitted to the thefts.  The case has been referred to the DA's Office for criminal charges.  


On January 3 at 7:30pm, Wal-Mart called police about a retail theft in progress.  Two females were concealing items and police stopped them as they attempted to leave the store with two carts of unpaid merchandise.  The total value of the merchandise was just over $1,000.  Both suspects, from Green Bay ages 28 and 54, admitted to the theft.  Due to the value amount exceeding $500, the offense was a felony.  Both suspects were arrested for the felony retail theft and taken to jail.  The 54 yr old suspect was on probation for retail theft and a probation hold was placed on her as well.  The 28 yr old suspect had her 4 year old child with her, and the child was released to a family member for care.  The case has been referred to the DA's Office for criminal charges.

New Year's Weekend Activity

The Sturgeon Bay Police Department reports the New Year's weekend activity resulted in only 1 OWI arrest.  We thank the public for using taxi's and designated drivers ... the responsible choice when you choose to drink!

1) On January 1 at 4:45am, city officer's stopped a vehicle for speeding and swerving in their lane of traffic.  The driver, a 25 year old female from Sturgeon Bay, was found to have consumed alcohol and her field sobriety tests showed signs of impairment.  The driver was arrested for OWI-1st offense, taken to jail and released to a sober adult.

2) On January 1 after 12:30am, police stopped a vehicle for a defective head lamp.  The 18 year old male driver was found to have a suspended driver's license and was in possession of two cases of beer.  The driver was cited for both violations, and the alcohol was confiscated.  Thankfully, the driver had not consumed any alcohol and was driving sober at the time of the stop.

3) On December 31 at 3:15pm, officers were dispatched to the Emergency Room at DCMC for a disorderly male.  The male, 31 years old from Baileys Harbor, was agitated and arguing with nurses inside the nurses station.  The male refused officers requests to leave the nurses station, and when officer's went to escort the male from the area, he physically resisted.  The male was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting an officer.  The case has been sent to the DA's Office for review, as the male is out on bond from other criminal charges.

Educational Event