wotnartd
01-14-2009, 05:12 PM
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/national/midwest/nat_wluk_waupacacounty_New_information_in_deer_sla ying_2009011316002160462
WAUPACA COUNTY, Wis. (WLUK) - As tips continue to flow in investigators say they've already gotten a break. It came from someone who says they saw one of the maimed deer the night before authorities thought the slayings took place.
"We're looking at Friday evening between 7 and 9:30 p.m.," said Carl Mesman with the DNR. "Hopefully with a better idea of what the timeline is people that may have seen something or heard something out of the ordinary, they're going to say 'OK, I did see it at the right time.'"
Mesman says hopefully also on the side of the investigation, a reward fund for information leading to arrests and convictions, which is now more than $14,000.
"It's the two percent that wrecks it for the rest of us," said John Ristow, president of the Iron Snowshoe Snowmobile Club in Marinette County.
The Iron Snowshoe riders donated to the reward and Ristow encourages other clubs to do the same.
"It's not right," he said. "It's not what snowmobiling is about. It's about enjoying the woods, enjoying the scenery with the animals."
The story has also received attention nation-wide on dozens of blog sites for snowmobile enthusiasts.
Jorgy84 in Iowa posted, "If they do that on a snowmobile i hate to see what they do in a car. i hope they get caught and can never own or ride a snowmobile again."
Other bloggers are hopping for jail time, something authorities say is a possibility.
"I hope they get the max, there is no excuse for this," said Ristow.
While Ristow and his riders will continue to enjoy trails, they say it will be even more enjoyable when the people who disgraced their sport are taken off the trails.
If you have any information on the case, you can call Waupaca County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-258-9955.
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090114/APC0101/901140490/1979
WAUPACA — The hunt for the snowmobilers responsible for the slaughter of five deer intensified Tuesday as reward money for their capture poured in and investigators sent snowmobile parts found near the scene for lab testing.
Advertisement
The killings have sparked outrage by animal lovers and snowmobilers alike, and a collection of reward funds for information or the conviction of those responsible has swelled to more than $10,000 and still is growing.
Capt. Don Conat of the Waupaca County Sheriff's Department said investigators hope snowmobile parts recovered from near the scene will yield fingerprints and information about the make and model of at least one of the sleds involved.
The deer were found dead Saturday, apparently run down by a group of three or four snowmobilers who herded the animals from an alfalfa field five miles south of Waupaca where a herd of 30 to 40 are known to feed.
Three deer were found dead in the field. A snowmobile stopped atop one and ripped open its stomach, said Ted Dremel, a state Department of Natural Resources warden based in Waupaca County. A fourth deer with broken legs was euthanized. The fifth deer was dragged from the field and tied to a tree about 25 feet from a road. Investigators think someone may have planned to return for that deer, Dremel said.
The dead deer were two bucks and three does. One was a fawn.
As the investigation continues, the timeline for the killings has changed. Originally, authorities thought it happened about 3:30 a.m. because reports from neighbors that they had heard snowmobiles about that time.
Now, however, Conat said other snowmobilers on the nearby trail reported seeing one of the deer lying along the trail south of Denmark Road when they passed through the area at 9:30 p.m. Friday. The steam from the deer's breath was visible then to the snowmobilers.
"It looked out of breath," he said.
Conat said people shouldn't assume the snowmobilers who killed the deer are local. "It's hard to say because people can put on 80 or 100 miles a day on a snowmobile so I guess we can't really restrict ourselves to where," he said.
People statewide, particularly snowmobilers, have expressed their dismay and anger over the killings, which led the property owner to close a key five-mile stretch of the trail in Waupaca County.
Bob Springer, president of the Waupaca County Snowmobile Association, said he has received $9,000 in donations so far, and people with information may also be eligible for up to $1,000 in rewards from the Waupaca County Crime Stoppers.
The Fox Valley Humane Association is offering a $500 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible and the Waupaca County Line Trailblazers Snowmobile Club also has set up a reward fund.
David Peterson, sheriff of adjacent Waushara County, said his county's Crime Stoppers also is seeking tips and offering a reward.
I think this is pretty heinous. It unnecessary, and wrong. It gives many people the wrong idea about Wisconsinites.
And that bolded section, that closure has been equated to closing a five mile stretch of US 41.
WAUPACA COUNTY, Wis. (WLUK) - As tips continue to flow in investigators say they've already gotten a break. It came from someone who says they saw one of the maimed deer the night before authorities thought the slayings took place.
"We're looking at Friday evening between 7 and 9:30 p.m.," said Carl Mesman with the DNR. "Hopefully with a better idea of what the timeline is people that may have seen something or heard something out of the ordinary, they're going to say 'OK, I did see it at the right time.'"
Mesman says hopefully also on the side of the investigation, a reward fund for information leading to arrests and convictions, which is now more than $14,000.
"It's the two percent that wrecks it for the rest of us," said John Ristow, president of the Iron Snowshoe Snowmobile Club in Marinette County.
The Iron Snowshoe riders donated to the reward and Ristow encourages other clubs to do the same.
"It's not right," he said. "It's not what snowmobiling is about. It's about enjoying the woods, enjoying the scenery with the animals."
The story has also received attention nation-wide on dozens of blog sites for snowmobile enthusiasts.
Jorgy84 in Iowa posted, "If they do that on a snowmobile i hate to see what they do in a car. i hope they get caught and can never own or ride a snowmobile again."
Other bloggers are hopping for jail time, something authorities say is a possibility.
"I hope they get the max, there is no excuse for this," said Ristow.
While Ristow and his riders will continue to enjoy trails, they say it will be even more enjoyable when the people who disgraced their sport are taken off the trails.
If you have any information on the case, you can call Waupaca County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-258-9955.
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090114/APC0101/901140490/1979
WAUPACA — The hunt for the snowmobilers responsible for the slaughter of five deer intensified Tuesday as reward money for their capture poured in and investigators sent snowmobile parts found near the scene for lab testing.
Advertisement
The killings have sparked outrage by animal lovers and snowmobilers alike, and a collection of reward funds for information or the conviction of those responsible has swelled to more than $10,000 and still is growing.
Capt. Don Conat of the Waupaca County Sheriff's Department said investigators hope snowmobile parts recovered from near the scene will yield fingerprints and information about the make and model of at least one of the sleds involved.
The deer were found dead Saturday, apparently run down by a group of three or four snowmobilers who herded the animals from an alfalfa field five miles south of Waupaca where a herd of 30 to 40 are known to feed.
Three deer were found dead in the field. A snowmobile stopped atop one and ripped open its stomach, said Ted Dremel, a state Department of Natural Resources warden based in Waupaca County. A fourth deer with broken legs was euthanized. The fifth deer was dragged from the field and tied to a tree about 25 feet from a road. Investigators think someone may have planned to return for that deer, Dremel said.
The dead deer were two bucks and three does. One was a fawn.
As the investigation continues, the timeline for the killings has changed. Originally, authorities thought it happened about 3:30 a.m. because reports from neighbors that they had heard snowmobiles about that time.
Now, however, Conat said other snowmobilers on the nearby trail reported seeing one of the deer lying along the trail south of Denmark Road when they passed through the area at 9:30 p.m. Friday. The steam from the deer's breath was visible then to the snowmobilers.
"It looked out of breath," he said.
Conat said people shouldn't assume the snowmobilers who killed the deer are local. "It's hard to say because people can put on 80 or 100 miles a day on a snowmobile so I guess we can't really restrict ourselves to where," he said.
People statewide, particularly snowmobilers, have expressed their dismay and anger over the killings, which led the property owner to close a key five-mile stretch of the trail in Waupaca County.
Bob Springer, president of the Waupaca County Snowmobile Association, said he has received $9,000 in donations so far, and people with information may also be eligible for up to $1,000 in rewards from the Waupaca County Crime Stoppers.
The Fox Valley Humane Association is offering a $500 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible and the Waupaca County Line Trailblazers Snowmobile Club also has set up a reward fund.
David Peterson, sheriff of adjacent Waushara County, said his county's Crime Stoppers also is seeking tips and offering a reward.
I think this is pretty heinous. It unnecessary, and wrong. It gives many people the wrong idea about Wisconsinites.
And that bolded section, that closure has been equated to closing a five mile stretch of US 41.