News
6 Dead in Necedah Structure Fire
Officer Involved Shooting in Adams County
The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer involved shooting in the Town of Big Flats Wis. that occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, June 29, 2024.
At approximately 3:01 p.m., Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call for a driver under the influence of narcotics and armed with firearms. Deputies searched for and located the reported vehicle about an hour later and initiated several short pursuits. During a pursuit, the subject fired a weapon at law enforcement, at which point law enforcement returned fire. The subject was injured as a result of the incident and received medical attention while on scene. The subject was transported to a hospital for critical injuries. No other individuals were injured during this incident.
Involved law enforcement are on administrative assignment, per agency policy.
DCI is leading this investigation and are assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol, Town of Rome Police Department, Wisconsin State Crime Lab and a DCI Crime Response Specialist. All involved law enforcement are fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation.
DCI is continuing to review evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Adams County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.
2 Found Deceased in Adams County
On Thursday June 27, 2024 at 8:19 AM the Adams County Sheriff’s Office received a call advising that the caller had not been able to contact Sharon K. Miller, age 62 of Friendship for three days. The reporting person advised she went to Sharon’s home located in the Adams County Town of Strongs Prairie that Sharon and Sharon’s son, Jami L. Lumby, age 37, were not there. Deputies arrived and checked the property and did not locate either person. Deputies identified recent ground disturbance consistent with digging or the burying of something on the property. A search warrant to further search the property was obtained.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to this investigation, and have dedicated every available resource to this investigation.
We are now able to confirm that the adult body that was discovered on June 27, 2024 is that of Sharon K. Miller, known by family and friends as Sharon Miller-Robinson. Investigators also located the body of Jami L. Lumby at their residence. The manner of their deaths are pending autopsy, but are both being investigated as suspicious deaths.
Staff from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and Special Agents from the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation continue to collect and analyze evidence, and are conducting interviews. DOJ Crime Response Specialists are assisting family members in this investigation.
We are again asking for the public’s assistance if anyone has had any recent contact with Sharon or Jami to contact the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
No further information will be made available for release at this time. Additional information will be made available as we are able to do so as the investigation continues to progress.
Reedsburg Area Medical Center once again recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare 2024!
Reedsburg Area Medical Center has been selected by Modern Healthcare as one of the 2024 Best Places to Work in Healthcare for the 4th time, having previously received this prestigious honor in 2020, 2022 and 2023! Modern Healthcare will publish a special supplement featuring the ranked list of all the winners October 14 after the awards celebration on Thursday, October 10.
“What an incredible honor it is to receive this coveted recognition for the 4th time,” says RAMC President/CEO Bob Van Meeteren. “It is also an honor to work side by side with the best team members in the industry. We are the best because our team is comprised of the best of the best. I truly believe that being a boldly independent organization, where decisions are made right here at home, helps us to not only attract but also retain the best workforce around. I thank each and every one of our team members for contributing to the culture that makes RAMC consistently one of the Best Places to Work.”
RAMC Director of Human Resources Ryan Bohen agrees. “Reedsburg Area Medical Center is known for having wonderful benefits which is incredibly important but also, our team is family. We support each other, we strive to go beyond the expected in everything we do to be the best of the best and we are active ambassadors of not only our organization but the wonderful communities we serve.”
“With all the economic uncertainty, staffing challenges and folks wanting more flexible work set ups, every company has to get clever about how they attract and hold onto talent,” notes Dan Peres, President of Modern Healthcare. “The winners of the 2024 Best Places to Work awards really get it. They show us how vital it is to understand what employees want and need right now. With healthcare shifting so much, finding the right people is a top priority, and the winners know that keeping their team happy is the key to business success.”
This award program identifies and recognizes outstanding employers in the healthcare industry nationwide. Modern Healthcare partners with Workforce Research Group on the assessment process, which includes an extensive employee survey.
RAMC is pleased to enjoy this honor once again and will share the news of the ranking when it is learned on October 10!
Juneau County Sheriff Sales
Family Health La Clinica changes name to Noble Community Clinics
Operates community health center clinics in Mauston, Friendship, Wautoma, Stevens Point, and Beaver Dam, as well as mobile health services throughout Wisconsin.
WAUTOMA, WI – June 24, 2024 – Family Health La Clinica, a community health center with clinics in
five central and south-central Wisconsin communities, including Mauston, announced today that
it has changed its name to Noble Community Clinics. The new name better reflects the organization’s broader mission of building vibrant communities by providing accessible, quality healthcare services to everyone it serves. Effective immediately, the new name, Noble Community Clinics, will be incorporated into the current logo design.
“Our organization’s outreach and purpose has expanded over the 50 years we have been in existence,” CEO Laura Waldvogel explained. “Our new name, Noble Community Clinics, is inclusive and clearly invites everyone in the community to use our services, which focus on patients’ whole health.”
“The new name supports our strategy of continual growth as a community health center, which is increasingly essential as more and more people face barriers to receiving the quality care they need,” added Board Chairperson Aaron Williams.
Noble Community Clinics welcomes patients at clinics in Wautoma, Stevens Point, Mauston, Beaver Dam, and Friendship. As a community health center, its clinics provide comprehensive and affordable care delivered with compassion and excellence, meeting each patient’s needs. Its modern facilities, dedicated physicians, nurses and certified staff offer a wide range of high-quality, integrated services for physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being.
In Mauston, Noble Community Clinics currently offers dental health care.
Additionally, Noble Community Clinics’ Mobile Health Services teams extend the clinics’ reach by providing medical care at local employers’ worksites, as well as school-based and mobile dental services, and healthcare to rural residents throughout central Wisconsin. Its Mobile Health Center has also brought medical services to migrant and seasonal agricultural worker communities statewide since 1973, as the only migrant health center in Wisconsin.
“We have a rich, community-led legacy and are honored to live our mission through our daily work,”
said Waldvogel. “At Noble Community Clinics, we believe everyone — no matter who they are or where they come from — deserves access to the right care, the right way.”
TOMAH MAN SENTENCED TO 35 YEARS IN PRISON FOR CHILD SEX CRIMES
Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger announced today that Mark Brooner, 54, of Tomah was sentenced to 35 years in prison on his convictions for child sex crimes. The decades-long sentence was imposed by Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Richard Radcliffe. Brooner will be 89 years old when he is released. Brooner will then be supervised by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections for 20 years following his release and will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
Brooner was convicted by a Monroe County jury of 23 child sex crimes after a 4-day jury trial in April. Brooner committed the offenses against 2 victims over an 11-year period between 2008 and 2019. He began victimizing each child when she was approximately 8 years old and continued into each’s teenage years. At sentencing, one victim provided insight into the childhood innocence snatched from her by noting she still had baby teeth when Brooner first began sexually assaulting her.
Brooner’s convictions mandated a minimum prison sentence of 25 years but allowed for a
possible maximum prison sentence of over 435 years. The Department of Corrections recommended
a prison sentence between 25 and 40 years. The prosecution recommended 135 years, arguing
Brooner’s perverted and heinous actions, combined with his previous conviction for sexually assault a
teenager in 1988, justified confinement exceeding Brooner’s life expectancy.
Assistant District Attorney Sarah Skiles, who handled the case, observed, “Brooner used and
abused people for his own perverse sexual gratification for the entirety of his adult life without regard
for the trauma he left in his wake.” Skiles continued, “Sexual predators belong in prison to prevent
them from inflicting future harm. Monroe County will be a safer place for many decades with Brooner
in prison.” She also noted, “This outcome would not have been possible without the brave victims who
came forward to stop Brooner. It would also not have been possible without the dedicated
professionals who poured their hearts into seeking justice in this case, including Detective John Brose
of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, as well as paralegal Sara Kast, victim specialist Anje Schmitz,
and Investigator Andrew Kuen of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.”
For more information on this case, please go to Wisconsin Circuit Court Access at
https://wcca.wicourts.gov and search for Monroe County Case No. 2022CF000234. Please direct
media inquiries to Kevin Croninger, Monroe County District Attorney, at 608-269-8780 or
monroe.call@da.wi.gov.
Mauston Truck Driver Escapes Accident another Man Dead
Further information is being released related to the crash that occurred on June 11th that left an area man dead.
Justin Hackett (45), of Sparta, died due to the injuries he sustained after his vehicle crossed the center line on Hwy 21 near Tunnel City and struck a dump truck traveling the other direction. The driver of the truck, Matthew Strohmeyer of Mauston, was able to extricate himself from the truck just before the truck caught fire.
The crash remains under investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and no further information is planned to be released at this time.
News Release
Fatal Traffic Crash
June 11, 2024
On June 11, 2024 just before 3:30pm the Monroe County Communications Center was informed of a crash on State Highway 21 near Flagpole Rd in the Town of Greenfield. It was reported that the crash involved a dump truck and a passenger vehicle. As a result of the crash the driver of the vehicle died and the dump truck caught fire.
During the initial investigation it was determined that a 2023 Hyundai Sonata was traveling east on Highway 21 when it crossed the center line and collided with a 2020 Kenworth dump truck that was traveling west. The driver of the Sonata was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the dump truck was not injured. The names of the drivers are not being released at this time.
Highway 21 was closed for approximately 7 hours to allow for investigation of the scene, removal of the vehicles involved and cleanup of the scene.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Oakdale Fire Department, Tomah Fire Department, Tomah Ambulance, Tomah Area Medical Responders, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, PER Towing, Arnolds Towing and the Monroe County Highway Department.
The crash remains under investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin State Patrol.
Ontario Woman Arrested After Trespassing
Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson reports on Friday night, June 14, 2024, at
approximately 9:45 PM, the Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center was notified of a Trespassing
incident at a residence on Hoff Valley Road, rural Ontario, WI, in the town of Whitestown.
The caller reported that a female, who appeared to be under the influence of a drug or
intoxicant, entered their private residence without consent.
At approximately 10:15 PM, deputies located a female walking nearby. She was identified as
Stacie Lynn Welter, age 41, also of rural Ontario, WI. The investigation continued, and Welter
was taken into custody and transported to the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center.
Welter was booked for:
1) Criminal Trespass to Dwelling
2) Disorderly Conduct
3) Felony Bail Jumping
4) Welter was also taken into custody pursuant to four arrest warrants, issued by Vernon
County Circuit Court, because of Failure to Appear in Court on one pending Felony court
case and three pending Misdemeanor court cases
Stacie Welter appeared in Vernon County Circuit Court on Monday, June 17th, and the
Honorable Timothy J. Gaskell ordered Welter held on a $1,000.00 cash bond of which was paid
today, June 18 th. Welter is due back in court today at 2:00 PM and again on July 3rd, at 9:00 AM.
S HERIFF’S OFFICE
ROY TORGERSON NATHAN CAMPBELL
SHERIFF Chief Deputy Sheriff
1320 Bad Axe Ct (608) 637-2123
Viroqua, WI 54665 vcso@vernoncounty.org
Continuing a tradition of serving our community since 1851
Page 2
Stacie Lynn Welter Trespassing
News Release – July 18, 2024
Welter is subject to several bond conditions to include not being allowed to have any contact
with the victims in this case or their residence. Formal charges are being sought through
Vernon County District Attorney Angela Palmer-Fisher.
If you have any information about this crime or any other crime, call Crime Stoppers at 608-
637-TIPS (8477) or submit an online tip at www.p3tips.com Callers are eligible for a reward of
up to $3,000.00 for information that leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property.
The incident remains under investigation by the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office.
Passport to Healthier Living with Diabetes
If you are looking for answers and tips on how to live your life to the fullest while managing diabetes, plan to attend this FREE event. Passport to Healthier Living with Diabetes will explain the importance of managing diabetes through diet, medication, glucose monitoring, and stress management.
The Diabetes Education team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have and give you tips on how to better manage your diabetes. They will address any questions and concerns that you may not think to ask when you visit your healthcare provider.
This event will be held on Thursday, July 11, at 1 pm at Mile Bluff Medical Center in Mauston.
If you would like to know more about this program, please call 608-847-1846.
