Steffen appeared in court on April 17, where Judge Jeffery Anderson set a $5,000 cash bond, with her preliminary hearing slated for April 24, where he will decide if there is enough evidence to move the case ahead to trial.

If convicted on all felony counts, Donahue could face almost 15 years in prison and over $25,000 in fines.

“Information gathered through a joint investigation with St. Croix Tribal Police, Wisconsin State Patrol, Burnett County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Decorah had fallen onto the roadway while riding on top of a moving vehicle. Decorah was left on the roadway for approximately an hour and then moved to the reporting party’s driveway where he was ultimately found, hours later, and transported to the hospital,” the sheriff’s statement said.

TURTLE LAKE - A 55-year-old Woodville man is being held on charges of being armed while intoxicated in connection with an incident last Friday evening, April 10. Thomas Levasseur, 55, was allegedly firing shots from a residence at 1481 2 3/4 Street. The Barron County Sheriff's Department was notified at 10:40 p.m. about the gunshots and a deputy was dispatched to the scene. After hearing several gunshots coming from the home, the deputy called for the Barron/Rusk Emergency Response Team as well as officers from Turtle Lake, Cumberland and Barron police departments. During this time approximately 12 more shots were heard. The response team attempted to make contact by phone with Levasseur but all attempts were unsuccessful. Armored vehicles were used to approach the house to make contact and after several attempts, Levasseur came to the front door of the residence with a handgun in his hand. After a few minutes of negotiation, Levasseur put the gun down and exited the home and was taken into custody without further incident. After a medical evaluation, he will be taken to the Barron County Jail.

CHISAGO COUNTY, Minn. - A 39-year-old Maplewood, Minn. man was arrested Thursday evening, April 2, and charged with fleeing police in a motor vehicle and possession of fighting animals, both felonies. Tou Yang is currently being held in the Chisago County Jail. According to a statement from Sgt. Matthew Beckman of the Chisago County Sheriff's Department, a call from a concerned citizen alerted them to a possible cockfighting ring occurring in the 11000 block of St. Croix Trail in the Town of Sunrise. Deputies responded and located an active cockfighting event and while attempting to identify all parties involved, Yang got into a vehicle and fled the scene at a high rate of speed. A sheriff's deputy pursued Yang and was able to complete a successful PIT maneuver on the fleeing vehicle and Yang was taken into custody. Charges of felony animal fighting/possession of fighting animals will be reviewed by the Chisago County Attorney’s Office for several other individuals who remained on scene, including 26-year-old Pa Thao of North Branch, Minn., 40-year-old Ma Vang of St. Paul, Minn., 47-year-old Rick Lee of Brooklyn Center, Minn., 31-year-old Xab Lee of St. Paul, 33-year-old Alison Lee of St. Paul, 36-year-old Sieng Vang of Brooklyn Park, Minn., 31-year-old Tony Lor of St. Paul, Minn., 28-year-old Chua Vang of Fairview, Mo., and 32-year-old Sue Vang of Granby, Mo. No injuries were sustained to any individuals/Deputies involved in this matter. Minor damage was sustained to one Chisago County Sheriff’s Office squad and the fleeing vehicle. The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the North Branch Police Department during this investigation.

“This is an ongoing investigation. If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office at 715-349-2121,” the statement from the sheriff’s statement said. - Gary King

Charges against Shannon Tretsven were still pending at press time.

This incident was resolved with the cooperation of Grantsburg Police Department, Siren Police Department, St. Croix Tribal Police Department, State Patrol, North Ambulance and the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office. - Information from Burnett County Sheriff Tracy Finch and Grantsburg Police Chief Dan Wald

Robert Oswald was also charged with felony possession of narcotics and meth, as well as similar paraphernalia possession. He is being held on a $1,500 signature bond, also with a court appearance on March 11.

He appeared before a judge on March 5, where he set a $2,500 cash bond and a preliminary hearing for March 30 before Judge Daniel Tolan.

The driver was found to be Daniel Nelson, 18, Osceola, and he admitted to seeing the officers’ lights, and said he was fleeing because he had expired car registration and no valid license.

Eleven arrests, eight facing criminal charges BALSAM LAKE – A multijurisdictional search warrant execution effort involving the St. Croix Valley Drug Task Force, Polk County Sheriff’s Office and St. Croix Falls Police Department yielded a veritable bounty of drugs, alleged users and alleged methamphetamine-distribution people and paraphernalia last week in St. Croix Falls. According to the probable cause report filed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and court records since the arrests, there were several people affected by the Wednesday, Feb. 26, sweep, which led to the arrest of 11 people and criminal charges against eight of them at press time. The search found a number of people either sleeping at or living in the home just off Hwy. 8 in St. Croix Falls, which belongs to Tryn Johnson, 64. He was found to have methamphetamine in his wallet, and a variety of meth, marijuana, paraphernalia and Schedule II narcotic pills were found throughout the home and in his room. All told, nine people were found in the Johnson home, with several people living in a crawl space below. Eight people were later charged with a variety of criminal allegations, including several for meth possession with intention to distribute. However, several people initially taken into custody and placed under arrest have yet to be charged in the early-morning warrant execution, and will not yet be named. Arrested and charged were Scott Hanestad, 48, Cottage Grove, Minnesota, in an upstairs bedroom; Aaron Kobs, 44, New Richmond, from the main level bathroom; a basement living area also housed several people, several found to be in possession of a variety of drugs, including meth. People found in the lower basement level and charged included Shelby O’Brien, 24, Siren; Chanclee E. Kempf, 35, St. Croix Falls, and Kevin L. Brahs, 48, Anoka, Minnesota. In total, the search warrant led to the discovery of over 7.6 grams of meth in the house, and another 1.6 grams from people or in the basement, resulting in over a dozen felony charges, and several misdemeanors, but the search wasn’t done. The search was underway when another vehicle arrived, proving to have even more meth and related distribution items. Hailey Anderson, 33, Roberts, was behind the wheel and was taken into custody and later charged along with her passenger, Nathan Kammerud, 35, Milltown. Both were allegedly found to be in possession of meth, paraphernalia and evidence consistent with distribution. The Anderson/Kammerud car contained another 15 grams of meth and paraphernalia. The homeowner, Johnson, was later charged with felony maintaining a drug trafficking house, as a second and subsequent offense and as a repeater. He is also facing a felony possession of meth as a repeater charge, and misdemeanor paraphernalia charge. He has a preliminary hearing set for Thursday, March 5, and has a $2,500 cash bond. That hearing is where the judge will decide if the state has enough evidence to bind the charges over to trial. Johnson has a noted history involving meth and drug crimes, going back two decades, to a conviction that led to eight years of prison time, and another more recent jail term from drug and traffic charges in 2017 that led to a plea deal and guilty plea to felony bail jumping, resulting in a 120-day jail sentence. Charges were filed last week against many of the other people found in the Johnson home: Hanestad was charged with felony possession of meth, as a party to a crime, as well as misdemeanor bail jumping. He has a preliminary hearing on March 17 and is being held on a $1,500 signature bond. Brahs was charged with felony meth possession, party to a crime, as well as three felony charges of bail jumping, and several misdemeanor charges, including possession of marijuana, and paraphernalia possession, both as a party to a crime. Brahs has open cases in Dunn County and is being held on a $5,000 cash bond, appearing after press time on March 3. O’Brien was charged with felony meth possession, also as a repeater, with a preliminary hearing also set after press time on March 3. In her charges it is noted that she also had a warrant from Burnett County and also admitted to police that she had meth under her clothing, totaling another 2.3 grams. Kammerud was charged with felony meth possession with intent to distribute, as both a repeater and as a second or subsequent offense. He also faces misdemeanor paraphernalia possession, as a repeater, and is being held on a $3,500 cash bond, appearing in court on March 3. Anderson was being held on a $5,000 cash bond after being charged with felony meth possession with intent to distribute, as a party to a crime, as a second or subsequent offense. She is also charged with felony bail jumping and misdemeanor paraphernalia possession, as party to a crime, appearing March 3 in court for her preliminary hearing. Kempf was being held on a minimal cash bond for party to a crime charges of felony marijuana possession, as a second or more offense, and misdemeanor paraphernalia charges. Kobs was not charged with any felonies, but faces five misdemeanor charges of bail jumping and possession of paraphernalia as a party to a crime, with an initial appearance slated for March 17, and no bond amount. Three other people were named in the report but were not yet charged at press time.

DANE COUNTY – An amended charge of county disorderly conduct, an unclassified forfeiture, was filed in the case involving Burnett County Assistant District Attorney Daniel P. Steffen, 49, Osceola. He pleaded no contest on Feb. 19 and was fined $330.50. Steffen was originally charged with misdemeanor attempted theft by false representation, less than or equal to $2,500 for the fraudulent request of reimbursement for mileage and the cost of a hotel room while attending a July 2018 Department of Justice conference in Madison. According to the criminal complaint filed on Oct. 9, authorities from the Division of Criminal Investigation were advised by the executive director of the Department of Justice - Office of Crime Victim Services that a submitted reimbursement voucher from Steffen was deemed questionable. Steffen allegedly submitted a voucher for his mileage traveled from his residence to Madison and for the cost a two-night stay in a hotel room. The request was flagged because the department had received two vouchers referencing the same room number. Plus, Steffen’s request included an additional night not allotted for the one-day conference and at a cost above that allowed by the DOJ. When contacted about the discrepancies, Steffen allegedly responded by providing a second set of reimbursement request forms, with an altered hotel room number, adjusted dollar amount and with the last four digits of the billing account blackened out. During the investigation, authorities checked the hotel registration records for the night of the conference and discovered that the first hotel room number referenced was the one registered to Steffen. Special agents interviewed Steffen, who allegedly stated that although he had initially submitted the reimbursement requests as indicated, he then resubmitted the forms after being advised of the DOJ’s reimbursement policies. Steffen went on to explain that an acquaintance, also attending the conference, had registered a room for both, but that it was his understanding that since the other person was not eligible for reimbursement, Steffen would make the request.

The Barron County Sheriff reports the department was involved in two high speed chases over the weekend that resulted in both drivers’ apprehension. One involved an 18-year-old Chippewa Falls man, the other two 14-year-old males. The first incident occurred on Friday, February 28, at 11:31 p.m. when the Barron County Sheriff’s Department received a call from Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office advising that the Bloomer Police Department officer was in a pursuit on Hwy 53 near the Barron County Line. Before the vehicle entered our county, the Bloomer Police Department terminated the pursuit. A Barron County Deputy just south of Chetek on Hwy 53 clocked a vehicle at 93 mph. A chase ensued with speeds between 80-100 mph for about 5 miles before the suspect went into the ditch just south of Dallas on County Road A. Taken into custody was Dalton Johnson, 18 of Chippewa Falls. He is being held in the Barron County Jail on charges of Felony Fleeing, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Marijuana. The Barron and Chetek Police Departments assisted our department with this incident. This was the same vehicle that the Bloomer PD had attempted to stop. The second incident occurred on Monday, March 2, at 12:12 a.m. a Barron County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding on Hwy 8 west of Barron. The vehicle failed to stop for the officer and the vehicle traveled into the City of Barron and crashed into a snowbank on Euclid Ave. Deputies along with the Barron Police Department took two 14-year-old males into custody. Barron County Human Services was contacted and both subjects were released to their parents and the case will be referred to Barron County Human Services.

Children in home with alleged meth dealer

Schaar-Dubois appeared before Judge Tolan on Monday, Feb. 17, who set a $500 cash bond and a preliminary hearing for Friday, March 13.

Nichols pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual assault, disorderly conduct and bail jumping on Oct. 9, 2019.
Two other charges were dismissed but read into the court record: first-degree child sex assault and bail jumping.

In the police narrative, the man said that he feared for his life if he had not been able to get her to move the knife away, stating that he felt he would have been stabbed or cut without the action.
Lowe appeared in court on Jan. 9, where Judge Daniel Tolan set a $750 cash bond and strict “no contact” orders for the victims. Her next court appearance is slated for Friday, Jan. 17, for a preliminary hearing, where the judge will decide if there is enough evidence to bind her over for trial.

OWI and drug charges result from incident AMERY – A report of alleged road rage led police to find the vehicle in question, where the driver was placed under arrest for several charges, including operating while intoxicated, second, and drug possession charges. According to the probable cause report filed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the incident took place in the early evening of Tuesday, Nov. 26, south of Amery. The man reportedly made threatening hand gestures at the other driver, followed closely and flashed high beams at them from behind, eventually passing at a high rate of speed and allegedly swerved at them, apparently to force them off the road. That driver stopped at a location on Hwy. 46, and police made contact with both parties, including the driver of the car allegedly behind the road rage. Police interviewed that driver, who was later identified as Mark Leverty, 28, Balsam Lake, and the officer noted the odor of marijuana and a number of paraphernalia items were found in the car, as well as several items with marijuana. Leverty was also given a field sobriety test, and registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%, above the legal limit to drive. Leverty was placed under arrest for OWI, second, and possession of marijuana and paraphernalia and was taken into custody. His actual charges were still pending at press time.

Traffic crash and more lead to charges ST. CROIX FALLS – A citizen report on the evening of Monday, Dec. 1, of a possibly intoxicated driver led to St. Croix Falls Police responding to the location, which was in their city, where they found the vehicle in question and observed the vehicle making a wide turn into a business, when the officer stopped the car. The driver was identified as John Bainbridge, 26, Ashland, who reportedly smelled of intoxicants and had very slurred speech. Bainbridge later failed a field sobriety test and registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.19%, well over the legal limit to drive. Bainbridge was charged with operating while intoxicated, second, and taken into custody. Charges were still pending at press time.

Traffic crash and more lead to charges BALSAM LAKE – A report came in of a traffic crash on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 30, near Hwy. 46 and 134th Avenue, where they believed the driver was under the influence. The vehicle was found to have the wrong license plates and the driver did not have a valid driver’s license. He was identified as Erick Bloom, 54, Balsam Lake. Bloom was given a field sobriety test and registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.21%, well over the legal limit. Bloom was placed under arrest for operating while intoxicated, fifth or sixth, which is a felony. He appeared before a judge on Dec. 1, where a $1,500 cash bond was set, with his next court appearance set for Dec. 30.

Man earns fourth OWI OSCEOLA – A woman who was seeking medical treatment from injuries suffered in a car crash and was able to walk into the emergency room of the Osceola Medical Center at around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26. According to the probable cause report filed by the Osceola Police Department, the woman claimed that she was asleep in a car and on the way home from a Stillwater party, riding in the car without her seat belt when the driver crashed. She said her friend said they had to leave, but she did not know where the car was or where her friend went. She said an online map got her to the OMC, which she said was about a 20-minute walk, through a construction zone, and gave other details. An Osceola Police officer believed they knew where she had walked from, and later went to a spot on the north side of the village, where they found a vehicle that was running and had front-end and side damage, with a man at the wheel, later identified as Antonio Salinas, 42, St. Paul, Minnesota. He reportedly smelled of intoxicants and had slurred speech, and he later failed a field sobriety test. Salinas was placed under arrest and charged with operating while intoxicated, fourth, as he had three previous OWI convictions, going back to 2001, 2006 and 2008, all in Minnesota.

Huge haul results from stop BALSAM LAKE – Polk County sheriff’s officers investigating stolen property made a traffic stop of a suspect in that case and discovered a bounty of drugs, cash and even the pickup they were driving was stolen, with attempts made to conceal the identifying numbers of the truck. According to the probable cause report filed by PCSO, the traffic stop took place on Wednesday, Nov. 27, as they were led to believe that a man known simply as “Jake” may be delivering more stolen property to an area near Frederic. When executing the traffic stop, the driver was identified as Jacob McPheeters, 37, Bloomington, Minnesota, and the other person in the vehicle was Samantha Leuthard, 34, Waconia, Minnesota. The vehicle was a 2006 Ford F-350 crew cab pickup truck, which had been modified by someone to eliminate almost all identification numbers. It was later found to be stolen out of Minnesota. Due to the original aspects of the investigation, police also had a K-9 officer do a drug search of the truck, which yielded a bounty of methamphetamine, marijuana and paraphernalia, as well as a bag of cash, believed to be the result of methamphetamine sales. In the end, the bust reportedly yielded 276 grams of meth and another 4.63 grams of marijuana, as well as a variety of paraphernalia and distribution equipment, leading to a variety of charges against both McPheeters and Leuthard. Authorities charged McPheeters with felony charges related to driving the stolen pickup, as well as felony meth possession, with intent to distribute, as party to a crime, as well as misdemeanor charges of marijuana and paraphernalia possession, all as a “repeater,” which adds extra penalties. He appeared in court before Judge Jeffrey Anderson, who set a $10,000 cash bond, which McPheeters paid on Dec. 2, and was released. He appeared before the judge again on Tuesday, Dec. 3, for a preliminary hearing, but that was delayed until Thursday, Dec. 12, where the judge will decide if there is enough evidence to bind him over for trial. Leuthard is facing similar charges as McPheeters, including felony meth possession with intent to distribute, felony possession of a stolen vehicle and misdemeanor marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession, almost all as party to a crime. She also appeared before Judge Anderson, who set a $10,000 cash bond. Leuthard had a preliminary hearing Dec. 3, where she was bound over for trial, with her arraignment slated for Dec. 12. She remains in custody at press time. Prosecutors have suggested that additional charges may be coming from the investigation, although they were unclear as to where those charges might apply, the drugs or the stolen items.

Three men accused of chasing man with knife, baseball bat AMERY – Three men are facing charges related to an incident in Amery where they are alleged to have chased a man around outside, threatening him with a knife and a baseball bat, apparently as he tried to retrieve his girlfriend’s vehicle. According to the probable cause report filed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred shortly after midnight on Saturday, Nov. 30, when a report came in of an assault in progress. That report came from a woman who claimed that three men were chasing another man around with a knife and a baseball bat, cornering him several times, stabbing the man at least once. The woman claimed the knife had a blue handle and was wielded by a man named “Chewy.” When authorities arrived on-scene, they went to the apartment where the incident allegedly began, and found a man who met the description and also found a knife that matched the description, with a blue-taped handle. The men all appeared to be intoxicated at the time and were all placed under arrest for disorderly conduct and endangering safety. Arrested were Jesus Garcia, 36, Amery; Juan Torres Galicia, 35, New Richmond; and Enrique Favela, 37, Amery. Charges were pending at press time, although it was noted that upon entrance into the jail, Garcia was found to have a rolled-up $100 bill in his wallet that contained a small amount of methamphetamine. The man who was allegedly stabbed only suffered a minor injury on his arm. It is unclear what prompted the trio to get violent, or whether there were extenuating circumstances at the time that might have led to the confrontation.

Meth, marijuana and more found in car MILLTOWN – An alert police officer in Milltown on Saturday, Aug. 17, noticed that a vehicle at a gas station matched the description of a vehicle driven by a man who was suspected of trying to elude police on Aug. 16. The officer waited, as the driver seemed to suspect he was going to be stopped, and then the driver approached the officer and turned himself in. The driver was identified as Derek Gustafson, 33, Milltown, who also had an active felony warrant out of Douglas County for possession of methamphetamine, with intent to distribute, as well as resisting arrest, both as a repeater. He was out on a $10,000 cash bond and was not to commit any new crimes. A K-9 officer arrived on-scene a short time after Gustafson turned himself in, and while he was cooperative to turn himself in, he did not want the car to be searched. That search yielded a variety of contraband, including multiple pipes for drug use, a bag of marijuana and a baggy of meth, totaling over 30 grams, along with a digital scale and other items suggesting distribution. Charges against Gustafson were still pending at press time and he remained in custody.