Local News

Update: The Deceased of this crash has been identified as 90 year old Robert L. Franke of the Mauston area. 

At approximately 1:36pm on July 29^th the Juneau County Communication Center received multiple 911 calls regarding and SUV vs semi traffic crash at the East State Street and North Union Street intersection in downtown Mauston.  Dispatch advised responding units that the driver of the SUV was unresponsive.

Upon arrival, law enforcement observed the SUV had struck the side of a semi with full eastbound lane blockage.  Numerous bystanders were attempting to assist the driver and sole occupant of the SUV.  The driver of the semi was not injured.  Law enforcement from the Mauston Police Department and Juneau County Sheriff’s Office, along with Mauston Ambulance and Mauston Fire rendered aid to the driver.  Ultimately, the driver of the SUV, and adult male, was pronounced deceased by the Juneau County Medical Examiner’s Office.  There was a partial road closure for approximately three hours while the crash was being investigated.

The Mauston Police Department was assisted by the following agencies: Juneau County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Mauston Ambulance, Mauston Fire Department, Juneau County Medical Examiner’s Office, Mauston Public Works, GundersenAIR, and Northside Mobil.  

On July 24th, at approximately 10:00pm, Oscar Perez (34 years old, of the Wisconsin Dells area) was taken into custody by the Chicago Police Department on charges of First Degree Attempted Homicide, for the Dells Police Department. The investigation is still ongoing, but our suspect is in custody. Search warrants were executed, hours of surveillance video were reviewed, and many interviews were conducted to get us to this point.

The victim of this crime is in stable condition, and we wish them a speedy recovery.

They were assisted by the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office, Sauk County Emergency Response Team, Chicago Police Department, and the Lake Delton Police Department in this investigation. Chief Brinker extends his sincerest gratitude to those agencies for their assistance.

Chief Brinker would also like to recognize the staff of the Wisconsin Dells Police Department for their relentless pursuit of the suspect during this investigation. Their effort has been tremendous.

The charges are merely an accusation of criminal conduct where probable cause existed for an arrest. The individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office has identified a victim of a fatal crash that took place at the intersection of Schutte Road and Highway 33 in the Town of La Valle.

Jake Strampe, 42, a resident of La Valle died following a two-vehicle crash on Monday afternoon.

An initial investigation showed  that the SUV was traveling west on State Highway 33 and crossed the centerline while the dump truck was traveling east. They crashed at the intersection. State Highway 33 at Schutte Road was closed for several hours.

Strampe died at the scene, the operator of the dump truck was transported to the Reedsburg Area Medical Center for treatment. His condition in unknown at this time.