Friday State News Briefs: Former Walker appointee sentenced to prison

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MILWAUKEE - A former appointee when Governor Scott Walker was the Milwaukee County executive was sent to prison for two years today.

62-year-old Kevin Kavanaugh of Cudahy was also told to spend two years under extended supervision, for embezzling over 51-thousand dollars in donations intended to help veterans. A jury found Kavanaugh guilty of skimming money through his former role as a treasurer of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Much of that money was taken from a Milwaukee County Zoo event to benefit veterans. Kavanaugh and four other Walker associates have been convicted of embezzlement and illegal campaign activities, which were uncovered by a John Doe investigation from Milwaukee County prosecutors. Circuit Judge Michael Goulee said prison time was necessary to deter others who think about stealing from charities. The judge also said Kavanaugh showed a lack of remorse.

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It’s Pearl Harbor Day – and Wisconsin’s official observance will take place this afternoon at the state veterans’ nursing home at King in Waupaca County. Governor Scott Walker will be on hand, as the state commemorates the 71st anniversary of the surprise attack in Hawaii by the Japanese which started World War Two. Former Marine Clyde Stephenson of Appleton will be the main speaker. He was assigned to guard beaches in Oahu from a possible invasion by land – and he ended up firing at Japanese planes. The state Veterans Affairs Department expects about 200 people to attend, including a couple of the half-dozen Pearl Harbor veterans who live at the veterans’ home. The attack killed 2,400 service personnel and injured about a-thousand others. Twenty-one vessels were damaged or sunk.

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The Army Corps of Engineers has said no to releasing more water from the Missouri River, so shipping activities can continue on the Mississippi River. In a letter obtained by the AP, Army Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy said it’s not necessary to boost flows from the Missouri – which feeds into the Mississippi in the Saint Louis region. Darcy cited a National Weather Service report that the Mississippi’s levels were not dropping as quickly as anticipated. She also said the corps is speeding up its removals of rock pinnacles that can damage barges when river levels are low. Numerous lawmakers still fear that shipping will come to a halt if the Mississippi does not get more water to counter the impact of this year’s drought. The issue does not directly affect Wisconsin, where the shipping season ended a few days ago. Army Corps workers are now fixing up locks-and-dams along the Badger State for next year’s shipping, which normally begins in March.

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An eastern Wisconsin native is one step away from becoming a federal judge in Florida. U.S. Magistrate Sheri Polster Chappell of Fort Myers, Florida was among seven nominees endorsed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Chappell now awaits confirmation by the full Senate, but no one knows when that might happen. The Senate has a backlog of judicial appointments due to partisan disagreements on other issues. Chappell is a 1980 graduate of Kiel High School in Wisconsin. She became an assistant prosecutor in Florida after earning a doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University. She was a county judge in Florida from 2000-to-2003, and she then became a magistrate.

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Folks in the northern half of Wisconsin might have to break out their shovels for the first time this season. The National Weather Service says much of the northwest could get 5-to-7 inches of snow tomorrow night and Sunday – while northeast Wisconsin could also get a few inches, mainly north and west of the Fox Valley. The Weather Service office in Green Bay says there’s a chance the storm could drift north or southward – or it might not be as strong as what’s projected now. It’s the second of two storm systems expected in the Badger State this weekend. The first entered northern Wisconsin this morning – and it dumped just over an inch of snow by noon at Westboro in Taylor County. Tomahawk had about an inch.

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A 16-year-old Milwaukee boy is due in court on Tuesday, after being charged in a home invasion in which a 21-year-old man was killed and his younger sister was injured. Prosecutors said the 12-year-old girl was home alone when she answered the door and saw two males entered, including one of her neighbors. Police said one of the robbers held her at gunpoint while the other ransacked the house and stole jewelry, TV’s, a computer, and more. The girl’s brother arrived home a short-time later, apparently not knowing that a robbery was in progress. He was beaten, and both residents were shot. The girl survived but her brother, Daron Coleman-Lemmie, died 17 days after the November ninth incident. Milwaukee Police said 16-year-old Lavarry Johnikin was an accomplice, and did not fire the shots – but he’s still charged as an adult with homicide, attempted homicide, robbery, and false imprisonment. The shooter has not been arrested yet.

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A fire-fighter dived to avoid being hit by two vehicles at the scene of a machine shed fire near Cuba City. Grant County sheriff’s deputies said 26-year-old Nieley Daily was stopped on Highway 80 yesterday, when her car was rear-ended by a 44-year-old man who did not notice the traffic control near the fire. Daily’s car veered into a ditch – and the fire-fighter who was controlling the traffic had to dive into another ditch to avoid being struck. The fire-fighter was not hurt, but both drivers were sent to a Platteville hospital for treatment of their injuries. The alleged rear-end driver, Michael Connolly, was cited for inattentive driving. Daily was cited for not having the required auto insurance on her vehicle.

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The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously today to increase enrollment limits for out-of-state students. The board approved a compromise plan to let campuses enroll 27-and-a-half percent of their students from outside of Wisconsin and Minnesota, up from the current 25-percent. Minnesota students are not considered as out-of-state students under a long-time tuition reciprocity agreement between the two states. UW-Madison officials wanted to increase the limit to 30-percent, saying it would solve administrative problems and give the university more revenue from the higher out-of-state tuition. But Assembly Colleges Committee chairman Steve Nass balked, saying it might reduce the numbers of Wisconsinites who can attend UW-Madison. Nass hailed the compromise – which produces enough revenue to add an extra 200 Wisconsin students per year. He says Madison will now have to admit a total of 3,500 Wisconsin freshmen each fall – the most ever for the campus.

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A Racine man will spend six years in prison for killing a female passenger in a hit-and-run motorcycle crash. At a sentencing hearing, a circuit judge called 27-year-old Brandon Seibert a “train wreck waiting to happen.” Prosecutors said Seibert crashed his motorcycle in a construction zone and kept going. A young mother attending UW-Parkside, 24-year-old Melissa Corona, was killed. The crash happened in September of last year. Authorities said Seibert was speeding at the time – and he did not have a valid driver’s license. He pleaded guilty to felony fatal hit-and-run, and two misdemeanor counts of causing death while driving without a license, and reckless injury. That last charge was reduced from negligent homicide as part of a plea deal. Seibert must spend 10 years under extended supervision when he’s released from prison – and he must pay at 25-hundred-dollar fine.

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An Appleton area man is scheduled to go on trial March 27th for allegedly stealing about one-and-a-half million dollars from a business he owned. 57-year-old David Moser owned Elite Power Products, a company that made fire protection equipment. Prosecutors said he failed to deliver fire trucks that were paid for by various communities from Wisconsin to New York. Authorities said Moser also wrote checks to companies in Marshfield and Green Bay for fire truck parts – and he then stopped payments on those checks. Prosecutors said he used the money to buy vacations, spa treatments, a yacht, jewelry, and Botox among other things. Investigators said they confronted Moser in 2009 – and he denied using any business funds for his own use. Moser is charged in Outagamie County with one felony embezzlement count. He’s due back in court February 18th. The March trial was scheduled to last for two days.

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The Edgerton hospital has been given 22 state-and-federal citations. Officials cited a lack of proper staffing, as two emergency room patients were left alone while nurses responded to a pair of cardiac arrests. One of the heart patients died. The other was a nurse who had a cardiac problem, and officials are not saying what happened to that person. The Wisconsin State Journal said an anonymous complaint prompted a state investigation of the incident, which occurred on the morning of August ninth. The paper said five of the federal citations accused the hospital of its most serious violation, causing “immediate jeopardy.” A report finalized in October said there was no record of the hospital calling in extra staff members. But Edgerton Hospital vice president Caryn Oleston told the State Journal that calls were made – several people did come in – and an off-duty worker stayed in the emergency room to tend to a relative, so the patients were not really left alone. Still, Oleston said the hospital has boosted its staffing, trained more people in CPR, and expanded its on-call system when help is needed.

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A northwest Wisconsin man is due in court this afternoon in the death of his fiancé. 45-year-old Scott Youngmark of Milltown was charged yesterday in Polk County with first-degree intentional homicide. Authorities said he beat 47-year-old Kari Roberts to death at an apartment last Friday night. According to prosecutors, Youngmark first told police that someone named “Jeff” might have committed the murder. Later, he reportedly told officers that he left Roberts for a few hours, then returned to find her with a bloody head injury. But Youngmark’s mother told police that he came to her apartment that evening and told her quote, “I think I killed her … I can’t believe I did this … I hope she’s not dead.” The mother called 911 – and when officers responded to her place, they arrested Youngmark. Online court records show that he has four other court cases pending in Polk County, including battery, reckless endangerment, and several counts of bail jumping. Media reports said he had also numerous convictions in Minnesota from 1996-to-2008.

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The interim police chief in West Allis does not believe his officers did anything wrong when they restrained an unruly drunk driving suspect at a hospital, and used a Taser gun on him. The suspect, 46-year-old Robert Maurina, died the next day. And police have asked the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office to investigate the officers’ handling of the incident. Authorities said Maurina went to the police station in late November to get his girlfriend, after she was arrested for drunk driving. But he was charged himself with his fifth OWI, and was taken to a hospital to have his blood drawn for evidence. There, officials said Maurina resisted attempts to get a blood sample – and he was then restrained and stunned with a police Taser. He died the next day, and the medical examiner said Maurina had been taking several medicines. Interim Police Chief Charles Padgett wants complete transparency in the investigation – and it was his department’s idea to have the DA investigate.

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The number of Wisconsinites hospitalized by the flu is now up to 33 – seven more than what state officials reported on Monday. At least four Wisconsin residents have died from the virus, as the nation continues its deadliest start to the flu season since the late 1970’s. Health officials encourage everyone to get immunized, especially pregnant women. State epidemiologist Tom Haupt said four pregnant women were hospitalized after they failed to get flu shots. That compares to nine for all of last winter. Last year’s outbreak was fairly mild, and Haupt says we might be headed to a more severe flu season this time around. That’s because the AH3 flu type is prevalent.

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Innocent pleas were entered yesterday for a Merrill woman who was stopped for a traffic violation, and was reportedly caught with a large amount of drugs. Police said 23-year-old Cassiopia Conlin tried to lie about her identity when she was stopped November 26th – but the arresting officer knew her as being wanted. She’s charged in Lincoln County with six felony counts and three misdemeanors, and two men in her vehicle face a total 19 additional charges. Conlin asked for a new judge, so it’s not known when she’ll be back in court. Prosecutors said she was caught with 84 grams of methamphetamines, three grams of heroin, and a gram of LSD. Her felony charges accuse her of possessing all those drugs with the intent to sell them. Conlin is also charged with possession marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and maintaining a drug trafficking place. 49-year-old Danny Hanson of Wausau was granted a public defender in his case. The other suspect, 38-year-old Jimmie Joannon of Merrill, is due back in court December 17th for a preliminary hearing.

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The incoming president of the Wisconsin State Senate says he wants a mining bill that both parties can support. Neenah Republican Mike Ellis hopes the GOP will incorporate some of the ideas that Democrats proposed yesterday. But a lobbyist for Gogebic Taconite said the recommendations from a Democratic Senate mining panel were nothing more than “talking points.” And the state’s largest business group says the package does not go far enough to secure much-needed jobs. The Senate mining panel chaired by Janesville Democrat Tim Cullen proposed a two-year time limit for the state to act on permit requests for new mines. That’s twice as long as the one-year review period suggested by Republicans in a package that was narrowly defeated in March. Also, Cullen’s package would not reduce environmental protections as the GOP bill would have done. It also calls for collaboration with federal regulators and Indian tribes – and unlike the GOP package, the public would still be able to challenge DNR decisions in contested-case hearings. Cullen says he understands the proposals could be meaningless if the Republicans try to ram through their own mining bill – but he says some of the panel’s ideas will be hard to ignore once the debate heats up in the Legislature. Ellis says it’s better to do mining right, than to do it fast.

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Farmers produced less corn this year due to the drought – but overall quality of the crop is high. The U.S. Grains Council gathered corn samples from Wisconsin and 11 other states – and the quality tests showed a heavier and healthier test-weight than a year ago. The report said the average test weight was almost 59 pounds a bushel, more than two pounds above the grade limit for the Number-One grade of U-S corn. The council said damaged kernels, moisture, and foreign material in the corn were all less than a year ago. The protein numbers were higher, the starch contest was somewhat lower, and the oil content was about the same. There appeared to be more stress cracks than a year ago. The corn quality was assessed as it entered the manufacturing channels – and the Grains Council said its report does not reflect potential damage down the line. As a result of the drought, Wisconsin farmers are expected to put out 431-million bushels of corn this year – a drop of 17-percent from 2011. Neighboring Minnesota expects at 15-percent increase in its crop – due to timely rains that Wisconsin not always got.

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A 21-year-old Shawano County man could spend the rest of his life in a mental institution, after he was sentenced yesterday for brutally killing his father. Authorities are still working out the details of Joshua Johnson’s placement. As part of the sentence, Johnson can have his case reviewed every six months – and if it’s found that he’s no longer a danger to himself or society, he could be released. Prosecutors said Johnson repeatedly shot, beat, and stabbed his 53-year-old father Donald Johnson in late February. The younger Johnson struck a plea deal in late October, in which he pleaded guilty to a homicide charge but was found innocent due to insanity. Doctors said the younger Johnson suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.

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Over 200 Catholic parishes in southeast Wisconsin breathed a huge sigh of relief yesterday. Federal Bankruptcy Judge Susan Kelley said the parishes will not put all of their assets at risk, as she decides how much the Milwaukee Archdiocese must pay to sex abuse victims and other creditors in its nearly two-year-old bankruptcy case. Kelley ruled that the parishes are their own legal entities – but they’re not out of the woods just yet. The parishes could still be sued, as the creditors try to obtain $35-million the local churches obtained from the archdiocese in 2005. The creditors say the archdiocese committed fraud by taking the money off its books, to reduce its future legal liabilities related to the nationwide sex abuse scandal by Catholic priests. Archdiocese attorney Frank LoCoco calls the creditors’ allegation “ridiculous.” Judge Kelley could decide as early as today whether the creditors can sue for at least part of the transferred money. LoCoco says those lawsuits could drag on for years – and it would destroy parishes and make it impossible for the archdiocese to continue its local ministries. Most of the creditors in the Milwaukee bankruptcy case are about 575 victims of sexual abuse by priests in the archdiocese over the past several decades.

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Wisconsin had 36 traffic deaths in November – the lowest for the month since World War Two. That’s according to preliminary data released yesterday by the state DOT. There were 16 fewer deaths last month than the previous November – and it was 13 less than the average for the past five years. Four people died in Thanksgiving weekend crashes in Wisconsin. That’s one fewer than a year ago, with about the same volume of traffic. The DOT reported 569 traffic deaths in the state for the first 11 months of the year – about 11-percent more than a year ago. There’s been a 34-percent increase in motorcycle and pedestrian deaths, due mainly to an earlier-than-normal spring and warmer fall. State Patrol Major Sandra Huxtable said too many people were killed because they were not wearing their seat belts. Starting today, the DOT is waging a crackdown on unbelted motorists and drunk drivers as part of its “Booze-and-Belts” campaign that runs through December 16th.

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An SUV driver was killed after colliding with a city transit bus in Racine. Police said the SUV was going north, and the bus was going east when they collided in the intersection about 2:30 yesterday afternoon. Police have asked the public for information that could explain why it happened. The name of the fatal victim was not immediately released.

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