REGIONAL BRIEFING Motorcyclist dies in crash on I-894 at National Avenue
Manhunt in Horicon Marsh called off; police seek Fond du Lac man
HORICON – Officers suspended a manhunt Thursday afternoon for a Fond du Lac man with multiple warrants for his arrest.
Horicon police and deputies from the Dodge County Sheriff ’s Office searched for Richard David Erdman, 35, in the Horicon Marsh after a welfare call to Royal Oaks Motel on the city’s east side, Sheriff Dale Schmidt said in a news conference.
Someone called 911 Thursday morning in Fond du Lac County to report Erdman was armed and making threats to harm himself, according to sheriff ’s office call logs. Erdman also told the caller that he would “do suicide by cop,” the logs read.
The caller told the dispatcher that Erdman may be at the motel. When police arrived, Erdman fled into the marsh, Schmidt said. Crews used infrared cameras and drones to look for him.
The manhunt ended unsuccessfully about 1 p.m. Schmidt asked the public to look for Erdman in the area. He is wearing dark shorts and a gray shirt.
Schmidt said the conditions in the marsh were difficult for officers.
Schmidt said he did not know whether Erdman was armed but said there is no danger to the public. He also did not specify the felony warrants for which Erdman is wanted.
Two people injured in Mequon garage fire
A garage fire Thursday near Homestead High School in Mequon injured two people, according to the Mequon Fire Department.
The fire started about 10:22 a.m. on West Parkview Drive near North Eastgate Drive.
The garage was in flames when firefighters arrived. An occupant of the home got out, but another person was trapped, according to the fire department. Police and firefighters were able to remove the trapped person through a window.
Both occupants of the home were treated for injuries. The person trapped was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation.
A motorcyclist died Thursday morning in a crash on Interstate 894 that closed southbound lanes for more than three hours.
The motorcyclist, a 64-year-old man, died after another driver merged in front of him and pushed him onto the shoulder about a mile north of West National Avenue. The man hit a construction barrel and was ejected from his motorcycle, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff ’s Office.
Deputies and paramedics tried to save the man’s life, but he died about 11:30 a.m., according to the sheriff ’s office. The driver who merged into the motorcyclist’s lane stayed at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
All southbound lanes were closed until about 2:30 p.m.
Tosa substitute teacher put child in headlock, complaint says
A 68-year-old substitute teacher at Whitman Middle School in Wauwatosa is accused of putting a 12-year-old student in a headlock.
Glen Fink of Brookfield was charged this week in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with physical abuse of a child, a felony.
The criminal complaint describes a June 4 incident involving Fink at the school, 11100 W. Center St. Fink placed the student in a headlock/chokehold and twisted the child’s arm behind his back, the complaint said.
Another teacher witnessed Fink putting his arm across the child’s upper chest/neck. The teacher heard Fink say to the child, “There is no one here to see it,” according to the complaint.
The Wauwatosa School District said it no longer employs Fink.
A preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 29.
Man, 18, dies in apparent drug-related shooting
An 18-year-old man died in a shooting Wednesday night on the south side that Milwaukee police believe is drugrelated.
Officers were flagged down in the 700 block of West Mineral Street near South 6th Street about 9:30 p.m. to help a man in a vehicle who had been shot, the Milwaukee Police Department said in a news release.
The man, identified by the medical examiner as Maurice Grimes Jr., died at the scene. No other details were released.
Former Cudahy mayor gets 30 days in forgery case
Former Cudahy Mayor John Hohenfeldt was sentenced to 30 days in the Milwaukee County House of Correction after pleading guilty to forgery and attempting to falsely act as a public official.
Hohenfeldt changed his original not guilty plea to guilty Monday, according to online court records.
The sentence includes “good time” credit, a shorter sentence for good behavior in jail and work-release privileges, and the court did not object to electronic monitoring, records indicated.
According to a criminal complaint: Following the April 2 election, Hohenfeldt filed a complaint under a fake name with the Wisconsin Elections Commission and marked that complaint with the notary stamp of a Cudahy employee without her permission.
Using the name “John Smith,” Hohenfeldt filed the complaint over issues he had with campaign signs from candidates for the mayoral seat he vacated.
The notary later discovered her stamp was used without permission when questions were raised about the WEC complaint.