The Town of Russell Fire Department along with deputies responded on Monday afternoon after a report of a camper trailer fire. At 4 p.m., a Merrill man reported he was traveling west on County Rd. C near State Rd. 17 when he blew a tire on his pull behind camper and he feared a fire had started. When deputies arrived they found smoke coming from the camper but no fire. Town of Russell firefighters also checked the vehicle over and found no active fire.
A 23-year-old Merrill man was arrested Monday evening after a traffic stop in the Town of Scott. At 7:37 p.m., a deputy stopped a vehicle on State Rd. 64 at County Rd. E after a check showed the registration was suspended. A check on the driver showed his driver’s license was revoked and he was violating the rules of his probation by driving. The man was brought to the Lincoln County Jail on the probation violation charge and held.
A 19-year-old Berlin, Wis. man was arrested early Wednesday morning on drug charges after a traffic stop in the Town of Merrill. A deputy stopped the vehicle the man was driving on US Hwy. 51 near County Rd. C just before 3 a.m. After noting some suspicious activity, the deputy requested the K9 unit from the Merrill Police Department to assist. As the deputy was citing the driver the K9 unit, Eros, arrived and indicated the vehicle contained drugs. A search turned up marijuana, drug paraphernalia and alcohol. The man was brought to the Lincoln County Jail where he was booked on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He was also cited for speeding and for transporting alcohol as a minor before he was able to post a cash bond and be released.
A 36-year-old Merrill woman suffered minor injuries after a single vehicle crash Wednesday morning in the Town of Merrill. Just before 6 a.m., cell 911 callers reported a vehicle had struck a light pole on County Rd. K just north of County Rd. G. The driver told the deputy that distracted driving led her to crash her vehicle. She refused medical transport for her injuries but was cited for inattentive driving.
A 17-year-old Merrill man was arrested Friday evening after deputies investigated a disturbance that took place Wednesday evening in the Town of Merrill. Just after 4 p.m., a caller reported an incident on Smith Lane where two children were injured. The suspect had fled prior to the arrival of deputies but he was found on Friday evening after a tipster reported the man was at a business on North Center Avenue in the City of Merrill. When a deputy and officers from the Merrill Police Department arrived, they located the suspect and took him into custody. During a search a deputy located marijuana and a pipe used to smoke it. The man was brought to the Lincoln County Jail where he was booked on charges of misdemeanor disorderly conduct, and felony physical abuse to a child along with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The marijuana possession charge is a felony charge as the man has a prior conviction for the offense. The man will have a bond hearing on Monday afternoon.
A 31-year-old Tomahawk man was arrested early Friday morning on several charges after deputies responded to a disturbance in the Town of Bradley. Just after midnight a cell 911 caller reported a man had entered a residence on Kahn Road and confronted the victim in the bedroom of her home. The victim initially got the suspect to leave the house but when she went inside and locked the door he kicked the door open, it was then that a physical disturbance took place. The man admitted to deputies he drank several beers and then went to the home to see the woman. He refused field sobriety tests and was taken into custody for a first offense of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. At the jail he was later booked on charges of disorderly conduct, criminal trespass to a dwelling and criminal damage to property. Unable to post bond the man remained in the jail until a bond hearing on Friday afternoon where he was released on a signature bond by a Lincoln County Judge. On Friday evening the man was again taken into custody after the victim notified deputies that he was using a third party to contact her, a violation of both his signature bond and the 72-hour no contact provision of his arrest. The man was again brought to the Lincoln County Jail where he was booked on charges of bail jumping and violating a 72-hour no contact. He will have another bond hearing on Monday afternoon.
A 54-year-old Merrill man was arrested Friday evening on a criminal charge after receiving a complaint of a threat. The victim came to the Sheriff’s Office after receiving a threatening voice mail from the suspect. Deputies spoke to the suspect who admitted leaving the message as a result of an ongoing dispute. The suspect was brought to the Lincoln County Jail where he was booked on a charge of Unlawful Use of a Telephone. He was able to post a cash bond and be released later Friday evening.
A 26-year-old Merrill man was arrested early Friday evening on a warrant through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Two deputies were leaving the Sheriff’s Office when they saw the man walking on North Center Avenue at First Street and suspected he had a warrant. A check showed the man was wanted for violating terms of his probation. The man was taken into custody and then brought to the Lincoln County Jail where he remains.
A 51-year-old Gleason man was arrested Saturday afternoon on warrant charges. Deputies have been searching for the man since January after warrants were issued for failing to pay child support and violating terms of his probation. Just after noon on Monday a deputy watched the man come out the back door of his home on Town Hall Road and enter a garage. They later made contact with the suspect in the garage and took him into custody. He was brought to the Lincoln County Jail and held.
A deputy assisted after a vehicle started on fire Saturday evening south of Tomahawk. The deputy was on patrol on US Hwy. 51 when he heard a Trooper from the Wisconsin State Patrol report he was out with a vehicle near Tamarack Lane that had caught fire. When the deputy arrived he was able to use his fire extinguisher to knock down the majority of the flames. Firefighters from the Tomahawk Fire Department were able to extinguish the remaining hot spots.
A 24-year-old Merrill man was taken into custody early Sunday morning after a deputy stopped an impaired driver. The man was stopped for speeding after a deputy observed him traveling at nearly 90 MPH on County Rd. W and stopped him on Alpine Lane. The man completed field sobriety tests and as a result of those tests was taken into custody for a first offense of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. The man was also cited for speeding. He was held in the Lincoln County Jail until Sunday afternoon when he was sober enough to be released.
Stormy weather kept the 911 center staff busy through the weekend but no significant damage was reported. The National Weather Service issued two severe thunder storm warnings, both on Sunday morning as different storm fronts came through. Deputies monitored the storms and reported heavy hail falling during the first storm in the one o’clock hour Sunday morning. The severe portion of the storm seemed to lessen as it moved across the southern part of the county.
The number of car deer crashes remains steady with another eight being reported this past week. A bear was also struck on Tuesday night outside of Tomahawk. Just after 9 p.m., a Lake Tomahawk woman struck the bear on US Hwy. 51 south of County Rd. D. The animal had to be put down.