Sunday State News Briefs: Prosecutors mum on more charges in John Doe investigation

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MILWAUKEE - Prosecutors are not commenting on whether any more charges will be filed or suspects will be named in the long-running investigation in the Milwaukee County Executive’s office when it was run by current Governor Scott Walker.

So far six people have been charged, four have been convicted and one person sentenced. A total of 13 have received immunity for their offered testimony. When former top Walker aid Kelly Rindfleisch is sentenced next week, two of the six active cases will be concluded. Two more people are scheduled to go to trial in the coming months. The governor has said several times he is not the target of the so-called John Doe investigation. He met with prosecutors last April.

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A monument dedicated last Friday in Waupaca will honor the 62 Wisconsin service members who have received the nation’s highest military honor. The memorial to Medal of Honor winners is located just outside the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King. The blue ribbon and medals were awarded to service members from this state dating back to the Civil War. Only four of the 62 are still living in Wisconsin.

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Oil giant BP reports it is still processing claims which have been documented, but it’s paid out more than $12 million in claims so far. BP says that money was paid for 14 recall claims. The company paid the money to customers whose vehicles were damaged by incorrectly formulated gasoline. Wisconsin was one of four states where about 4.7 million gallons of the damaging gasoline was sold. The fuel caused problems including difficulty starting, engine stalling and damage to critical engine components.

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Thirty years in prison is the sentence for a Racine man who admitted he killed his girlfriend’s daughter by abusing her so severely her skull was fractured and her pancreas was torn in half. Andre O. Knighton told the judge he takes full responsibility and said there is no justification for what he did to two year old Donnasia Jackson. Prosecutors said Knighton slammed the little girl to the floor 12 to 15 times when she soiled herself, then began to fuss. He said he was suffering from a migraine at the time. The little girl was killed in 2011 while her mother was at work. Knighton had pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide charges.

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Conviction on his eighth-offense driving while intoxicated offense will send a Two Rivers man to prison for three years. David F. Lawler pleaded no contest last week. The 56 year old was stopped by Mishicot police last August for driving on a revoked license. An officer reportedly smelled alcohol on Lawler’s breath, saying his eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred. Police say he told them he had drunk at least a 12 pack of beer and his blood alcohol content level was point-2-6-4, more than three times the legal limit.

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An outdoors and survival instructor from Wisconsin is the object of a search in northwestern Alaska. Bad weather has hindered the search efforts. Thomas Seibold of Three Lakes was reported overdue a week ago today. Seibold went to Alaska last September to hike and explore. He left a group of friends later that month, saying he would stay at a remote cabin through the end of October. Seibold has a history of camping in severe winter conditions. Alaska State Troopers say they will search areas near a pair of rivers where he might have built a base camp. Open rivers, thin ice and a lack of snow are slowing the ground search.

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