July 16, 2023 – Washington County, WI – On Thursday, July 13, 2023, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office coordinated a multi-jurisdiction drug interdiction task force that included officers from the Fond du Lac Police Department, Waupun Police Department, Rosendale Police Department, and City of Ripon Police Department. Also participating in the task force were ten investigators assigned to the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group as well as six K9 teams from local agencies.
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The primary objective of the interdiction was to saturate high drug-trafficking neighborhoods and corridors throughout the county and identify and arrest those involved in illegal drug trafficking, possession, or other crimes.
Between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m., the task force conducted 95 traffic stops, made the following arrests, and issued the following citations:
Five felony and one misdemeanor criminal arrests
One warrant arrest
25 traffic citations
2 operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of a restricted controlled substance (“drugged driving”)
41 traffic warnings
1 ordinance citation.
Illegal drugs and other items seized included fentanyl, methamphetamine, marijuana, Schedule II prescription medication possessed without a prescription, drug paraphernalia, two illegally possessed firearms, and cash.
One of the more significant arrests occurred at 6:38 p.m. when a deputy conducted a traffic stop on I41 northbound near Hwy B. As he and a K9 handler/backup deputy were at the vehicle speaking with the two occupants, the driver suddenly sped away at a high rate of speed. With deputies in pursuit, the driver turned around in an emergency crossover and headed back southbound. Deputies from the Washington County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office, and a Slinger Police Department officer were able to successfully deploy tire deflation devices but the driver continued to flee until one flattened tire was almost completely shredded off the rim. The driver finally stopped on I41 south of Holy Hill Rd. in southern Washington County. The passenger complied with law enforcement commands during the high-risk stop and was quickly taken into custody, however, the driver did not comply with commands for several minutes before finally surrendering.
Significant traffic backups and delays occurred due to the extended duration of the high-risk stop. No one was injured and no civilian vehicles or squads were damaged in the 37-mile pursuit. Also assisting in the pursuit were officers from the Germantown Police Department Wisconsin.
During the pursuit, the suspects threw a bag out the passenger window into the west ditch. A Fond du Lac Sheriff’s deputy trailing behind the pursuit stopped and searched the ditch line and recovered a small bag containing two loaded handguns. Drugs confiscated during this incident included methamphetamine and marijuana.
The driver is an adult male from Milwaukee who is currently out on parole for felony armed robbery by use of force and has additional criminal convictions in his criminal history. He was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm, eluding, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, misappropriation of an ID (he provided deputies another person’s identification when first stopped), possession of methamphetamine, possession of THC, a probation hold, and was issued numerous traffic citations.
The passenger is an adult male from Green Bay who is also currently out on felony parole for armed robbery and has additional criminal convictions in his criminal history. He was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm, possession of THC, and a probation hold. Both suspects are currently in custody at the Fond du Lac County Jail awaiting their initial appearance.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office appreciates the collaborative efforts of our local police agencies, LWAM, and agencies within Washington County who assisted during the pursuit. Additionally, we would like to recognize the work of the dispatchers in the Fond du Lac County Communications and Emergency Management Center. Thousands of radio transmissions occurred between dozens of officers, deputies, and dispatchers working during this intensive drug interdiction, and the task force could not have operated safely and effectively without the professionals we had working on the other end of our radio.
The Sheriff’s Office, along with state and municipal law enforcement agencies across Fond du Lac County, remains committed to working together to combat illegal drug trafficking and other oftentimes “mobile” crimes. We will continue collaborating with our law enforcement partners, as these crimes not only destroy lives and families, but oftentimes also involve illegal firearms/weapons possession and trade, human trafficking, money laundering, and other violent crimes. An interdiction task force like this is just one of the many tactics we use to combat these illegal activities.
