Crime and Court Roundup: Waukesha police exchanged gunfire with a 76-year-old man Tuesday night

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Police in Waukesha exchanged gunfire with a 76-year-old man late yesterday, while responding a domestic abuse complaint. Officers were called about 4:15 to the Wyndwood Condominiums, where a 75-year-old woman asked for help. Police said the officers were talking to the woman when the man appeared with a rifle and started shooting. The officers returned fire, left the condo with the woman, and called for help. Within minutes, over two dozen squad cars and rescue vehicles lined the road in front of the condos. Police took the man into custody about an hour after the incident began. One officer had minor injuries during the arrest, and was taken to a Waukesha hospital for treatment. Nobody was hurt during the exchange of gunfire. Media reports said the man was in court earlier yesterday, and was found to be in contempt for violating conditions from a divorce of the elderly couple in 2010. Among other things, the man was supposed to give up his weapons. The incident occurred just a few miles from Sunday’s mass shootings at a spa in Brookfield – and Waukesha Police Chief Russell Jack said it was why so many officers from neighboring police forces showed up at the condo disturbance.

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Wisconsinites who bought L-C-D flat screens from retailers a number of years ago could get 25-to-200-dollars or more as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. The Badger State and 23 others are sharing one-point-one billion dollars from a lawsuit which claimed that nine top electronics manufacturers overcharged consumers in a price-fixing scheme. Those who bought T-V’s, computer screens, and laptops from retailers between 1999-and-2006 have until December sixth to file claims. State Attorney General J-B Van Hollen said the amount of cash available for consumers is significant – and he’s urging those eligible to file claims. He said it will let people recover a major portion of what was quote, “illegally taken from them.” And Van Hollen said it’s a warning to others that those who engage in illegal price-fixing will “not gain from their wrongdoing.” Eligible consumers and businesses can get reimbursed by answering a few questions about the numbers of L-C-D items they bought. No receipts are needed. More information is available online at LCD Class-Dot-Com.

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A Wausau woman faces two felony charges for allegedly causing the death of her boyfriend’s dog. 20-year-old Sean Janas is due back in court a week from today on Marathon County charges of animal mistreatment and poisoning an animal. She also faces a misdemeanor count of obstructing officers. Prosecutors said Janas wrote in her diary about abusing her boyfriend’s four-year-old German shepherd-Labrador mix. The dog was named Mary, and she died in June. Janas was sent to jail on a 25-hundred-dollar cash bond. At her next court appearance, a judge will decide if there’s enough evidence to order a trial.

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A Madison man accused of making over 100 telephone threats to the State Democratic Party headquarters pleaded guilty yesterday to making one of those calls. 61-year-old William Diedrich admitted to federal Judge William Conley that he made the threats from January through March of this year. But he said he doesn’t remember much about them, after he suffered a fall which kept him away from his job as an electric contractor. Among other things, prosecutors said Diedrich left a voice mail for Democrats in which he said the bombings at U-W Madison’s Sterling Hall and Oklahoma city would quote, “seem like a firecracker compared to what’s gonna happen to you people.” Authorities said he also threatened to shoot at Democrats walking on Madison’s Capitol Square, and shoot anyone who ran in the recall election against Governor Scott Walker. Diedrich also said he would shoot “’Bama,” apparently meaning President Obama. Prosecutors wanted Diedrich to write an apology to the Democrats, and the judge agreed. He faces up to 10 years in prison, but he’s expected to get less under federal sentencing guidelines. Diedrich is scheduled to be sentenced on December 20th.

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A state commission has refused again to grant parole to a man convicted of killing a co-worker at a Green Bay area paper mill two decades ago. The panel rejected Michael Hirn’s second request to be let go from the state prison at Green Bay. The 48-year-old Hirn will be eligible again next September. He’s one of five men serving life prison terms for the 1992 slaying of fellow employee Tom Monfils at the former James River Paper Mill. 65-year-old Michael Johnson recently had his second parole request turned down. Dale Basten is up later this year. Rey Moore will be up next spring. And Keith Kutska is eligible for parole in early 2015. Prosecutors said the men were upset that Monfils told police that Kutska was about to steal a coil of wire from the plant. That report led to Kutska being suspended. A sixth defendant, Michael Piaskowski, was freed by a federal judge who said there was not enough evidence to find him guilty.

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