A 22-year-old Merrill man was arrested on Monday afternoon after deputies responded to a disturbance in the Town of Merrill. Just before 1 p.m. a 911 cell call reported a fight had occurred at a residence off of Schulz Spur Rd. and the suspect had fled and was possibly armed with a knife. Minutes later, a deputy located the vehicle being driven by the suspect and stopped it on Pier Street. According to statements from the victim, the suspect became upset and struck the victim causing an injury, all while holding an infant who was injured during the altercation. The man was brought to the Lincoln County Jail where he was held overnight for a bond hearing on Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and battery along with a felony charge of child abuse. He was released the next day on a signature bond.
A Gleason woman was the target of a scam this past week but thanks to her bank no loss was incurred. The woman told a deputy that she had befriended a person on a social media site. After some time of friendship, the man asked the woman to open a bank account for him locally and he sent her a check for $8,000 to deposit. The woman was instructed to wire the money to one of the man’s relatives in Georgia. Before the money was sent, the bank recognized the check as being a fake. The bank is working with the woman to investigate the matter further.
Residents are asked to remind their elderly friends and relatives about the “grandma scam” during spring break time. The grandma scam involves thieves who target elderly residents by calling them and imitating a grandchild, telling them they have been arrested in another country and they need bail money or they will be forced to sit in jail. Often a second person will get on the phone and claim to be an official such as a police officer. The fake grandchild always begs the grandparent not to tell anyone due to embarrassment but they really don’t want anyone to educate them that it is a scam. Those heading off on spring break are also reminded to protect their grandparents. Don’t post things on open social media pages that can be picked up by scammers. If the thieves know where you are at during your vacation and who you are with, that gives them a better advantage when they call your grandparent trying to steal their money.
Pine River Firefighters and a deputy responded to a reported chimney fire on Thursday evening. At 10 p.m., a cell 911 caller reported the fire at an address on Pine River Rd. Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours keeping the fire contained to the chimney. No injuries were reported.
Tomahawk Firefighters and a deputy responded to a reported structure fire early Friday morning in the Town of Bradley just before 2 a.m. A resident in the 8000 block of County Rd. E told a deputy she came home and smelled smoke and discovered a fire. Firefighters told the deputy the fire began near the chimney and spread into the attic. They were able to contain the fire to the attic area of the home. Firefighters were on the scene for about an hour and a half and no injuries were reported.
A town of Harrison man was reminded this past weekend of the importance of phoning the Sheriff’s Office if you are having a large controlled burn. The man was burning the remainder of a fallen barn on Friday night at a residence off of County Rd. A. A passerby spotted the flames at around 7:30 p.m. and called 911. Firefighters from Tomahawk Fire Department were paged for a reported barn fire and they requested mutual aid from both the Town of Crescent and the Town of Russell Fire Departments. As those three departments were heading to the scene a deputy arrived and found that it was a controlled burn. This burn was being done within the DNR regulations but you are asked if you are having a large burn or if you are burning in a well-travelled area you should phone the Sheriff’s Office in advance.
A 43-year-old Tomahawk woman was arrested Saturday evening on a warrant charge. Deputies had been looking for the woman after she had failed to appear at a court hearing on a charge of possession of methamphetamine. Acting on a tip, they went to a residence on Ackerman Rd. in the Town of Merrill and found the woman there. She was taken into custody on the warrant charge and brought to the Lincoln County Jail and held.
A 30-year-old Tomahawk woman escaped serious injury after a one vehicle rollover on Sunday morning in the Town of Harrison. Just after midnight, a cell caller reported a vehicle had left the roadway and struck a power pole on County Rd. A near Mail Route Rd. As Tomahawk EMS and Fire Department were responding, a deputy arrived on the scene and found the vehicle upside down and the driver trapped inside. According to the deputy’s report, the woman was traveling west on County Rd. A when her vehicle left the roadway, struck a utility pole and continued on, flipping end over end before coming to rest on its roof in the ditch. After firefighters extricated the driver, she was flown from the scene by the Spirit to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. The woman was eventually treated and released, but the deputy plans on citing the woman for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant. The crash caused a power outage and it took until after 6 a.m. before Wisconsin Public Service was able to make repairs and restore power to the area.
A 22-year-old Irma woman was taken into custody early Sunday morning on a traffic charge. Deputies had gone to the area of County Rd. D and Myers Rd. at 3:30 a.m. after it was reported that a vehicle had gone into the ditch. Deputies found the woman sleeping in the still running truck and asked her to perform field sobriety tests after detecting the odor of an intoxicant and finding an open container. Based on the field sobriety tests, the driver was taken into custody on a first offense of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. She was later released to a responsible party.
The number of car deer crashes is increasing with seven being reported this past week.