Local News

On Saturday, March 15, Mile Bluff Medical Center welcomed the community to an exciting open house event at its brand-new Mile Bluff Gateway Center in Mauston.

The Gateway Center, located in the former Shopko building, has been completely transformed into a 26,000+ square-foot healthcare facility designed to meet the needs of the Mauston community. This newly renovated space will house Mile Bluff’s Urgent Care, Retail Pharmacy, and Dialysis departments. The facility is designed to provide high-quality healthcare services in a convenient and accessible location.

During the open house, visitors had the chance to explore the spacious new facility, meet the healthcare team, and gain insight into the services that will be offered. The event was free and open to the public, providing a unique opportunity for the community to see firsthand how the Gateway Center will impact healthcare in Mauston and surrounding areas.

Mile Bluff Pharmacy is already open and operational inside the Gateway Center. Its hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM, with the drive-thru available until 7:00 PM. The pharmacy is also open Saturdays from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Urgent care and dialysis services are expected to move into their new spaces in the coming months.

The Gateway Center is the first phase of a $17 million development project. Phase two will focus on remodeling the emergency department at Mile Bluff’s main campus in Mauston, with construction set to begin later this year.

To stay up-to-date on the opening of urgent care and dialysis services at the Gateway Center, and to follow the progress of the ER remodel, follow Mile Bluff Medical Center on Facebook or visit milebluff.com.

Thursday, Monroe County District Attorney Kevin D. Croninger announced that
on March 05, 2025, a Monroe County jury convicted 54 year old, of Brian J. Jones of seven
charges related to sexual assault of a child including, Sexual Assault of a Child Under Age
13; Repeated Sexual Assault of a Child; two(2) counts of Incest; three(3) counts of Exposing
Genitals.
The convictions came after a two day jury trial. Jones has previously been convicted of
numerous charges related to sexual assault of different children. Those previous convictions
include three(3) Counts of 1st Degree Sexual Assault of a Child; two(2) counts of Possession
of Child Pornography; one(1) count of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault. The charges in this case
presented to the jury in Monroe County stem from Jones’ conduct that occurred between the
Summer of 1995 and the Spring of 2003, during which time Jones repeatedly sexually
assaulted the victim in the case. The victim was between the ages of 6 and 13 during the
repeated sexual assaults.
After the two(2) days of trial, the jury deliberated for approximately six and a half(6 ½) hours,
over two(2) days, before reaching their verdicts. Monroe County District Attorney Kevin
Croninger stated, “Brian Jones is a serial rapist, pedophile and pervert. While he had
previously been convicted of serious child sex offenses in Juneau County for crimes
committed against other victims, it is extremely important to obtain justice for all victims. The
jury in this case listened closely to the evidence, engaged in thorough deliberations and
delivered justice for the victim in this case. We are extremely grateful to the jury for doing
so. The victim in this case has experienced a significant amount of trauma because of the
conduct of Mr. Jones, despite that she was able to take the stand and testify with incredible
strength and clarity about the perverted, disgusting, and illegal acts Mr. Jones committed
against her.”
The prosecution of this case was handled by Monroe County District Attorney Kevin
Croninger with support and assistance by the staff of the Monroe County District Attorney’s
Office.
The investigation of the case was led by Detective Ben Goehring of the Juneau County
Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of Detective John Brose of the Monroe County Sheriff’s
Office. Croninger praised the work of Detective Goehring and all officers involved, “The
number of people Mr. Jones has victimized is astounding. Detective Goehring and all law
enforcement officers and agencies involved in this case have demonstrated a tireless
commitment to achieving justice for all of those victims. Their professionalism and skill made
the convictions in this case, and in the Juneau County case(s) possible. We are immensely
grateful to these officers’ and their agencies’ commitment to achieving justice for all the
victims.
Jones is currently serving a prison sentence related to the other child sex offenses. After
conviction, he was returned to the New Lisbon Correctional Facility to await sentencing.
At sentencing, Jones, faces a maximum sentence of 120 years of additional time in
prison. Sentencing date to be scheduled before the Honorable Judge Richard Radcliffe
in Branch III of the Monroe County Circuit Court.
If you have been a victim of Brian J. Jones of Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, please contact law
enforcement so an investigation can be conducted. The Monroe County District Attorney’s
Office is committed to achieving justice for all victims of Brian J. Jones.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is announcing an arrest of a local town treasurer, after it was discovered she had been stealing money from the township. 

On Feb 25th, 2025 Town of Adrian Treasurer Kelly Schleusener (50) was arrested after an investigation found that she had had been withdrawing sums of money from the township accounts since April of 2022.   The investigation found that in total she had stolen over $294,000. 

Schleusener was booked into the Monroe County Jail on charges of Misconduct in Office and Theft. Additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues.

Schleusener will have her bond hearing on Thursday, February 27th, at 1:00pm. Bond Hearing can be viewed online by following the link on the Monroe County Clerk of Courts Website at

https://www.co.monroe.wi.us/departments/clerk-of-courts/

On February 23^rd at just before 5:00PM the Monroe County 911 Communications Center received a call reporting the possibility of multiple deaths and a gas leak at an address on Hobby Road.     The caller reported they had gone to the residence as they had not heard from the occupants.   When they arrived and entered the home they located a juvenile in the home that was unresponsive and noted the strong odor of gas.    They were able to remove a female juvenile from the home, however life saving measures were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Upon arrival, emergency personnel were able to shut off the gas to the house and make it safe to enter.   Inside the residence an adult male was also found to be deceased, as well as a dog and cat. 

The incident remains under investigation, however investigators were able to determine the source of the gas and there is no information at this time that foul play was involved.

Multiple emergency services responded to the scene, including Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Oakdale Fire Department, Tomah Ambulance, Monroe County Medical Examiner, and Wisconsin State Patrol.