Latest news with #DaneCounty
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
Victims in Wisconsin double homicide identified as a state patrol director, wife; son named as suspect
MIDDLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Authorities have released more information about a double homicide in southern Wisconsin that left three people dead, including the suspect. According to the Dane County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to a residence at 8580 Stonebrook Circle in the Town of Middleton on Tuesday, July 8, after a family member contacted 911. The caller went to check on David and Teri Pabst after the couple failed to arrive at their expected destinations that morning. Driver suspected of OWI crashes into deputy's squad car in Calumet County Local 5 News has confirmed that David Pabst served as director of the Wisconsin State Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety and Technical Services. When deputies arrived, they learned that the couple's son, 25-year-old James Pabst, had left the home shortly before their arrival. He was believed to be armed and driving a white Honda Accord. A few hours later, the Wisconsin State Patrol located the vehicle traveling west on U.S. Highway 14 in Vernon County. A traffic stop was attempted near Patterson Road. James initially pulled over without incident but refused to speak with officers or exit the vehicle. After an hour-long standoff, law enforcement officers tactically approached the vehicle and found that James had died by suicide. Based on interviews and evidence from both scenes, investigators believe James fatally shot his parents around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, July 7, inside the home they all shared. The handgun used in the shooting was legally purchased by James. 'On behalf of everyone at the Dane County Sheriff's Office, our sincerest condolences go out to the Pabst family, their friends, and neighbors,' said Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett. 'While this is no longer a criminal investigation, we will do all we can to provide the surviving family members the answers and closure they deserve.' In a tribute on social media, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation praised David Pabst for his nearly 40-year career in public safety. 'David always served with integrity and compassion, driven by a deep commitment to protect others,' the post read. 'He always had a smile and a kind word to share… David and Teri will be greatly missed.' Gov. Evers orders flags to half-staff in honor of fallen police officer The Vernon County Sheriff's Office also offered condolences, stating, 'The senseless loss of a law enforcement colleague is always heartrending… The world is a sadder place today as we reflect on the countless contributions that Director Pabst made to the safety and well-being of law-abiding citizens everywhere.' No additional details were released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Yahoo
Wisconsin high-speed pursuit of over 100mph ends in 21-year-olds arrest for OWI
CALEDONIA, Wis. (WFRV) – A 21-year-old man from southern Wisconsin was arrested for OWI and fleeing/eluding following a high-speed pursuit that reached speeds of over 100 mph on Thursday night. Just before 11:40 p.m. on July 10, a deputy with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office was patrolling I-90/I-94 in Caledonia when he spotted a vehicle with an equipment violation. Teacher at Kaukauna Catholic school accused of child sex crimes now facing 30 charges, pleads not guilty According to a release, when the deputy tried to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle continued to flee at a high rate of speed, traveling eastbound on I-90/I-94. A few miles later, another deputy with Columbia County successfully deployed a tire deflation device, causing the vehicle's two front tires to go flat. The driver, later identified as 21-year-old Luis Toledo of Monroe, continued eastbound at speeds of over 100 mph. Shortly after, Toledo was pulled over in Dane County. Both Toledo and a passenger of his were taken into custody without further incident after authorities reportedly observed signs of alcohol impairment on Toledo. County Sheriff in Wisconsin mourns loss of retired K9 who responded to over 1,000 calls in 7 years Toledo was taken to the Columbia County Jail and the following charges: Felony bail jumping Fleeing/Eluding OWI – 2nd Offense 2nd Degree Reckless Endangering Safety Violation of Probation 'Thankfully, no one was injured from the dangerous decision made to flee the deputy while impaired,' said Lieutenant Jordan Haueter. 'This is another example of why the Sheriff's Office makes locating impaired drivers and holding them accountable for their poor decision to operate a motor vehicle while impaired a priority.' No additional information was provided. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
New lawsuit seeks to redraw Wisconsin's congressional maps before 2026 midterms
MADISON, Wis. — A new lawsuit seeking to redraw Wisconsin's congressional district boundary lines was filed on Tuesday, less than two weeks after the state Supreme Court declined to hear a pair of other lawsuits that asked for redistricting before the 2026 election. The latest lawsuit brought by a bipartisan coalition of business leaders was filed in Dane County circuit court, rather than directly with the state Supreme Court as the rejected cases were. The justices did not give any reason for declining to hear those cases, but typically lawsuits start in a lower court and work their way up.
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
New lawsuit seeks to redraw Wisconsin's congressional maps before 2026 midterms
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new lawsuit seeking to redraw Wisconsin's congressional district boundary lines was filed on Tuesday, less than two weeks after the state Supreme Court declined to hear a pair of other lawsuits that asked for redistricting before the 2026 election. The latest lawsuit brought by a bipartisan coalition of business leaders was filed in Dane County circuit court, rather than directly with the state Supreme Court as the rejected cases were. The justices did not give any reason for declining to hear those cases, but typically lawsuits start in a lower court and work their way up. This new lawsuit's more lengthy journey through the courts might not be resolved in time to order new maps before the 2026 midterms. The Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy argue in the new lawsuit that Wisconsin's congressional maps are unconstitutional because they are an anti-competitive gerrymander. The lawsuit notes that the median margin of victory for candidates in the eight districts since the maps were enacted is close to 30 percentage points. 'Anti‐competitive gerrymanders are every bit as antithetical to democracy, and to law, as partisan gerrymanders and racial gerrymanders,' the lawsuit argues. 'This is because electoral competition is as vital to democracy as partisan fairness.' The lawsuit alleges that an anti-competitive gerrymander violates the state constitution's guarantees of equal protection to all citizens, the promise to maintain a free government and the right to vote. The lawsuit was filed against the state's bipartisan elections commission, which administers elections. Commission spokesperson Emilee Miklas declined to comment. The Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy had attempted to intervene in one of the redistricting cases brought by Democrats with the state Supreme Court, but the justices dismissed the case without considering their arguments. Members of the business coalition include Tom Florsheim, chairman and CEO of Milwaukee-based Weyco Group, and Cory Nettles, the founder of a private equity fund and a former state commerce secretary. Republicans hold six of the state's eight U.S. House seats, but only two of those districts are considered competitive. In 2010, the year before Republicans redrew the congressional maps, Democrats held five seats compared with three for Republicans. The current congressional maps, which were based on the previous ones, were approved by the state Supreme Court when it was controlled by conservative judges. The U.S. Supreme Court in March 2022 declined to block them from taking effect. Democrats had wanted the justices to revisit congressional lines as well after the court ordered state legislative boundaries redrawn before last year's election. Democrats then narrowed the Republican legislative majorities in November, leading to a bipartisan compromise to pass a state budget last week. Now Democrats are pushing to have the current maps redrawn in ways that would put two of the six seats currently held by Republicans into play. One they hope to flip is the western Wisconsin seat of Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who won in 2022 after longtime Democratic Rep. Ron Kind retired. Von Orden won reelection in the 3rd District in 2024. The other seat they are eyeing is southeastern Wisconsin's 1st District, held by Republican Rep. Bryan Steil since 2019. The latest maps made that district more competitive while still favoring Republicans. The two rejected lawsuits were filed by Elias Law Group, which represents Democratic groups and candidates, and the Campaign Legal Center on behalf of voters. Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy are represented by Law Forward, a liberal Madison-based law firm, the Strafford Rosenbaum law firm in Madison and Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School.
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Former wisconsin clerk who failed to count ballots broke laws, the state's elections commission says
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A confluence of errors, including unlawful actions by the former clerk in Wisconsin's capital city, led to nearly 200 absentee ballots not being counted in the November presidential election, an investigation by the state elections commission released Wednesday concluded. Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned as Madison city clerk in April amid investigations by the city and the Wisconsin Elections Commission into the missing ballots. No outcome of any race was affected by the missing ballots. The city's investigation released in April determined that Witzel-Behl didn't break any laws but did violate multiple policies and her contractual duty to supervise elections and maintain professional standards. But the elections commission report concluded that there is probable cause that Witzel-Behl broke five election laws. The election commission's investigation was not a criminal probe. Whether the former clerk is actually charged with any crimes would be up to the Dane County district attorney. The elections commission report concluded that Witzel-Behl broke state law for failing to properly supervise an election, not providing the most recent current registration information for pollbooks in two wards, improperly handling the return of absentee ballots, not properly canvassing the returns as it pertained to the 193 uncounted ballots, and failing to provide sufficient information for the municipal board of canvassers to do its work. 'The failure to count the 193 ballots in Madison was a result of a confluence of errors,' the report concluded. It determined that Madison did not have procedures to place to track the number of absentee ballots going to a polling place, and there was a complete lack of leadership in the clerk's office. 'Instead of working to solve the problem, Witzel-Behl went on vacation for weeks after the election,' the report said. 'These ballots were treated as unimportant and a reconciliation nuisance rather than as the essential part of our democracy they represent,' the report said. The report also said that an unauthorized person was found sleeping in the building owned by Dane County and used by the city to store ballots. According to one of the workers at the facility, that person could have accessed the room where the security carts were stored. On multiple occasions, workers found unlocked doors at the building, a former brewery near the Madison airport, the report said. The report makes seven recommended orders for the city to comply with to improve its operations. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is scheduled to vote on whether to accept the report's findings and recommendations at its July 17 meeting. Madison city attorney and acting clerk Michael Haas said in a statement that he hoped the report can provide lessons that 'we and other Wisconsin clerks can learn to prevent similar errors in the future.' The city has already implemented additional safeguards and procedures that were in place for elections earlier this year to ensure that all eligible absentee ballots are accounted for, Haas said. He declined further comment until after the commission's vote on the report. The elections commission investigation was led by Democrat Ann Jacobs, the commission's chair, and former chair Republican Don Millis. They are both attorneys. This marks the first time in the eight-year history of the commission that it has used its investigatory authority. The investigation determined that two bags of uncounted absentee ballots likely never made it to the wards where they should have been counted. Dane County canvassers discovered 68 uncounted absentee ballots in a tabulator bin on Nov. 12, a week after the election, and another 125 uncounted ballots in a courier bag the first week of December. The clerk's office did not notify the Wisconsin Elections Commission of the oversight until Dec. 18, almost a month and a half after the election and well after results were certified on Nov. 29. Witzel-Behl told investigators she wasn't aware of any uncounted votes until the week of Dec. 10, even though she apparently sent an email to her staff on Nov. 27 to keep the ballots sealed and record the voters as having participated. Four voters whose ballots weren't counted have filed claims for $175,000 each, the first step toward a class-action lawsuit.
