Crime and Court Roundup: Milwaukee man pleads innocent to impersonating a newspaper photographer

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A suburban Milwaukee man has pleaded innocent to impersonating a newspaper photo-journalist, and calling girls’ high school athletes to arrange photo shoots. 68-year-old Gary Medrow of Greenfield entered his pleas yesterday to two counts of disorderly conduct, and two charges of unlawful telephone use. His next court appearance is set for January 17th. Prosecutors said Medrow called female athletes in Franklin, Hartland, Cedarburg, Mequon, and Verona, claiming he was a photographer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The newspaper and other media outlets said they don’t operate that way – and they contact coaches to arrange interviews with high school athletes outside of the actual sporting events. Court records show that Medrow has been convicted multiple times of impersonating police and illegal phone use. The Journal Sentinel previously reported that Medrow had a desire for quote, “calling women and trying to persuade them to lift other women and carry them around.”

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A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments today on whether six Chippewa Indian tribes can hunt for deer at night in much of northern Wisconsin. The Great Lakes Indian Fish-and-Wildlife Commission approved a night-time deer hunt last month in places where the Chippewa have exercised off-reservation treaty rights since the 19th century. But Judge Barbara Crabb of Madison held up the deer shining until she could hold a hearing on a challenge filed by the state D-N-R. Crabb is the same judge who rejected a similar night-time Indian hunt in 1989. Back then, she agreed with the D-N-R that it poses a safety risk – and she ruled that the state’s ban on night-time deer hunting also applied to the tribes. But the tribes say those concerns are moot, because the state allowed wolf hunters shoot at night during their inaugural season which began in mid-October. The Chippewa also say they need the deer for food. The Indian Fish-and-Wildlife agency had authorized the special hunt to run from November 26th through January sixth.

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Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has asked a judge to throw out a state law in which doctors could face felony charges for performing drug-induced abortions. The procedure used to cover about a quarter of all abortions by Planned Parenthood. But that was before the group stopped offering the non-surgical abortions when the law took effect on April 20th. Among other things, the law requires that women visit their doctors three times before getting drug-induced abortions – and doctors must prove that the women are not being coerced into having the procedure. Republicans said at the time that the measure would save lives, but Planned Parenthood said the law was vague – and it’s hard for doctors to determine if they’re in compliance. The group is suing the state Medical Examining Board, Attorney General J-B Van Hollen, and county district attorneys. Dana Brueck of the Justice Department says her agency will review the lawsuit, and then make an appropriate response. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood continues to perform surgical abortions at its facilities in Milwaukee, Madison, and Appleton.

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Tags: news, crime, courts, wisconsin