August 15, 2019 – Dodge Co., WI – At about 8:27 a.m. on Thursday, August 15, 2019 the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office was attempting to make contact with a subject at Royal Oaks Motel, W4419 State Highway 33 in the Township of Hubbard, to take him into custody for multiple felony warrants.
The subject, Richard Erdman, 35, of Fond du Lac fled the motel into an adjacent marsh. Numerous law enforcement officers responded to set up a perimeter in an attempt to locate the fleeing individual.
A search began which included a Wisconsin State Patrol aircraft equipped with cameras to assist in searching. During this search, media aircraft in the area hindered the safe operation of the State Patrol aircraft and they were forced to abandon their search.
The sheriff’s office and other agencies continued searching by utilizing drone technology to search the area along with K9 units and other law enforcement on the ground. Unfortunately, due to the terrain being very marshy and wet, we were unable to locate the individual and called off the search.
It is believed that the subject is not a threat to the public, however, the sheriff’s office continues to search for him through other means. Erdman was last seen wearing dark colored shorts and a light grey shirt. We do not have a photo we are able to share with the public at this time. If anyone does come across a suspicious person in this area, we ask that they contact the sheriff’s office immediately.
We would like to thank Wisconsin Emergency Management, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Horicon Police Department, Beaver Dam Police Department, Columbus Fire Department, Horicon Fire Department, Watertown Fire Department and the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this incident.
***Original Release***
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is currently actively searching for an individual wanted for multiple warrants just east of Horicon. There is a heavy presence of law enforcement as we have set up a perimeter in an effort to contain and apprehend the subject. We are asking that the public stay away from the area and not to approach the law enforcement officers as they are ensuring the public’s safety. There is no further info available to be released currently and we believe the public to be safe at this time. Additional details will be released as we are able.
