A 31-year-old Merrill man was taken into custody early last Monday morning on a traffic charge. A resident called the Sheriff’s Office just after 1 a.m. concerned about an overdue motorist. Deputies checked the southern part of the county for the vehicle when it was located at a closed business in the city of Merrill. When contact was made with the driver, he was found to be sleeping in the running vehicle with an open bottle of liquor. The man performed field sobriety tests and was then taken into custody for a first offense of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was later released to a responsible party.
Russell Firefighters were called out early Thursday morning for a reported gas odor investigation. At 2:30 a.m., a caller reported the smell of gas in a home on Prairie Pines Drive. When firefighters arrived they found the homes bulk tank had actually run out of natural gas leaving the occupants without heat for the evening. A responding deputy contacted the Merrill Police Department who was able to get a voucher so the woman could stay the night in a hotel room in Merrill with her children thanks to the St. Vincent de Paul organization.
A 32-year-old Tomahawk man was arrested Thursday morning on a warrant charge. The man came to Lincoln County Court for a hearing, a routine check showed he was wanted by the Oneida County Sheriff for failing to pay child support. The man was brought to the Lincoln County Jail and held on a new sentence for contempt of court for a child support matter in Lincoln County before he will be taken to Oneida County.
Snow kept deputies busy Friday night into Saturday morning. Snow began falling late Friday afternoon and just after 5 p.m. vehicles started sliding off the road. Fourteen such reports were received into late Saturday morning. Three crashes were also reported, two of which had minor injuries.
A 43-year-old Irma woman was arrested early Saturday morning after the Price County Sheriff’s Office requested an assist in locating a domestic abuse suspect. Deputies from Lincoln County went to a home in the Town of Skanawan where a woman was taken into custody. Late Sunday night deputies returned to the home and took the woman back into custody for violating terms of a 72-hour no contact provision.
A 29-year-old Tomahawk man was arrested Saturday evening on a probation violation charge. Deputies were checking an establishment in the Town of Bradley after a report was received that a man was violating his probation rules by drinking. The deputies were unable to locate the named suspect but found the 29-year-old instead who was violating his probation rules by being in a tavern and consuming alcohol. He was brought to the Lincoln County Jail and held.
A 30-year-old Montello man was arrested Sunday morning on a warrant through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. A deputy stopped a vehicle the man was a passenger in for equipment violations on County Rd. JJ south of County Rd. C around 8:30 a.m. A check showed the man was wanted for violating terms of his probation. He was taken into custody and brought to the Lincoln County Jail and held.
A deputy stopped a vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes of US Hwy. 51 near County Rd. K at Irma just before 11 p.m. Sunday evening. The man did not show any signs of impairment but he was cited for traveling the wrong way on the highway and released.
The number of car deer crashes is slightly lower again this week with four, an eagle was also struck by a vehicle near Tomahawk. On Tuesday a motorist reported the bird was struck on US Hwy. 51 near County Rd. S.
Residents are reminded to start checking with the fire warden for burning rules as the snow is rapidly melting. Predicted rain this week along with high temperatures will most likely cause burning rules to be invoked in some areas. Fifty-eight people reported they were burning this past week.