RIVER FALLS Police Department Reports

The following incidents were reported to the River Falls Police Department Nov. 9-15.

Monday, Nov. 9

At 2:49 p.m., an officer responded to 228 Seventh St. for a damage to property/vandalism complaint. Someone had put vulgar graffiti inside a Free Little Library and stolen all of the books. The complainant said the library had been full of books. She plans to paint over the graffiti and estimated damage/loss to be about $50. The officer advised installing cameras if the vandalism continues.

At 6:04 p.m., an officer responded to Positive Alternatives (2860 Williams Ave.) for two runaway juveniles. After searching the area for 40 minutes, a resident in the 2300 block of Golfview Drive reported that two juveniles had rung the doorbell and asked for a ride. They left and walked toward town. As the officer searched that area, a driver flagged him down and said he’d given two juveniles a ride to Dollar General, from which they walked north on Main Street. The officer, after another call, searched downtown but couldn’t find them. However, at 4:14 a.m., another officer responded to Kwik Trip (1238 N. Main St.) for a welfare check on juveniles loitering in the women’s restroom and in the store since midnight. One juvenile had no shoes on and hid in the bathroom, coming out once an hour roughly to ask the clerk the time. Police asked the clerk to get the two out of the bathroom, and two juveniles exited with a backpack. The officer transported them back to Positive Alternatives.

Wednesday, Nov. 11

Police responded to semi vs. pole crash at 3:15 p.m. in the Family Fresh parking lot (303 S. Main St.) A 2020 Frht truck with semi attached, driven by Nicholas Ronald Anderson, 31, Eau Claire, negotiated a turn and struck a pole, causing minor damage to the passenger side of the trailer and pole. The Bill’s Distributing business manager reported the crash. Anderson reported no injuries.

A Positive Alternatives employee (2860 Williams Ave.) reported at 3:20 p.m. that a juvenile had not returned from school. An officer searched the area around the high school but did not locate the juvenile, who had run away the previous evening and was found at Kwik Trip. At 7:28 a.m. Nov. 12, a woman reported that her son had brought a juvenile to her residence at about 7:15 a.m. The juvenile wouldn’t give the woman her name. The woman brought them both to school. The juvenile, determined to be the runaway, was picked up by Positive Alternatives.

At 3:50 p.m., a resident reported $3,066.99 in fraudulent activity on his Associated Bank account. The investigation is ongoing.

At 4:09 p.m., a Carquest Auto Parts (713 N. Main St.) employee reported a theft. A woman had concealed and left the store with a video inspector, valued at $119.99. When the employee confronted her, she denied taking anything, got into a Pontiac G6 and left. After reviewing the store camera footage, police learned the woman also took a portable jump starter pack valued at $139.99. Police were able to track down the woman through her license plate number and probation agent. When Lindsay A Schmidt, 33, Menomonie, missed a scheduled interview, police reached her by phone, she admitted taking the items and said she’d return them. She was formally trespassed from the store.

At 4:50 p.m., the River Falls Bus Garage reported a fail to stop for unloading/loading school bus violation that occurred at 7:59 a.m. Nov. 9 on Cemetery Road just west of the Highway 65 roundabout. The black Ford pickup truck had pulled out of the driveway at 1440 Cemetery Road (Red Cedar Estates and was registered to Kwik Trip Inc, La Crosse. An operation manager from Kwik Trip said they’d attempt to identify the driver.

At 5:22 p.m., a caller reported hitting a deer on Highway 35 in city limits. Wendy Louise Schuster, 58, Ellsworth, hit the deer with a 2010 Buick Lucerne, which had to be towed due to disabling damage. Schuster wore a seat belt and reported no injuries.

Thursday, Nov. 11

Police responded to a deer vs. vehicle crash at 7:10 a.m. on Highway 35 in city limits just north of East Division Street. A 2017 Cadillac ATS, driven by Genuino Mangione, 64, River Falls, struck a deer while going north. Mangione reported possible injuries but declined EMS. He wore a seat belt. The vehicle had to be towed due to disabling damage.

At 7:14 p.m., police responded to 1450 Wasson Lane for a domestic in progress. Two women reported being called profane names. One woman reported being shoved into a shoe rack, while the other reported telephone (12 calls) harassment at her job that day in which the suspect used a profane name to describe her to her boss. Gregory Jude Konieczka, 58, River Falls, told police the women were lying. He was arrested for domestic battery and disorderly conduct and taken to Pierce County Jail.

At 9:01 p.m., police responded to Positive Alternatives (2860 Williams Ave.) for two juvenile runaways. At 10:29 p.m., a PA employee told police the juveniles had called from Family Fresh (303 S. Main St.) and asked for a ride back. An officer picked them up and brought them back to PA. One juvenile, when sent to her room, kept repeatedly kept throwing batteries at her bedroom door and removed a screen from her window, which set off an alarm while police were still there. Disorderly conduct charges were referred to juvenile intake.

Friday, Nov. 12 Gerald Francis Lucking, 32, River Falls, was cited $187 for possession of THC and $124 for operating while suspended after a traffic stop for an out headlight at 12:17 a.m. at Emory Circle and Emory Drive. After smelling marijuana coming from the car, police found 10.53 grams in the center console, an electric grinder and an axe (Lucking works for a landscaping company and told police not to be alarmed by the axe). Because Lucking didn’t stop right away when police attempted to pull him over (he said he didn’t see the lights), charges for resisting/failing to stop/fleeing and carrying a concealed weapon were referred to the district attorney. Lucking was cited and released after passing field sobriety tests.

Officers responded at 12:17 a.m. to 430 Griffey St. where a woman reported a man was outside her residence with a gun. Dispatch said the suspect had told the woman to move away from the door because he was going to shoot it open. Police searched the area for the suspect, identified as Devon Martell Fox, 34, River Falls, but didn’t immediately find him or his vehicle. A police officer was stationed at the home until police could locate Fox. The complainant told police that Martell has been threatening her over the course of several days by beating on her door, by text and by phone calls. During a separate incident, she said he had pointed a gun in her face on Nov. 4. He also punched her in the face, which was corroborated by a witness. She didn’t report it because she didn’t think he’d come back. She said Martell is upset because he doesn’t believe he’s the father of her baby and she informed his current girlfriend about the child. That evening Nov. 11, she had been receiving threatening texts from Martell, which she showed police, and believed he was going to kill her. Police located Fox the next day when his sister brought him to 214 S. Wasson Lane, where he was arrested on a probation warrant and taken to Pierce County Jail. A loaded Glock handgun was also recovered from a kitchen cupboard at the Wasson Lane address, which the female resident (Fox’s girlfriend) claimed not to know about. She cooperated with police and provided DNA samples to prove she hasn’t touched the firearm. Charges for first degree recklessly endangering safety, criminal trespass to dwelling, stalking – use dangerous weapon, domestic battery, and domestic disorderly conduct – endanger safety/use dangerous weapon charges were referred to the district attorney. Fox remains in custody.

Lanai Michelle Bowdry, 34, St. Paul, was pulled over for speeding 37 mph in a 25-mph-zone at 2:52 a.m. near Main and Cedar streets. When police made contact with Bowdry, an odor of marijuana and intoxicants came from the vehicle. Bowdry was glassy-eyed, had slurred speech and kept laughing. Police saw a baggie of marijuana sticking out of her coat pocket, which she handed over. When she got out of the vehicle, she almost fell over. Police found an empty wine bottle behind the front seat, a plastic cup of wine near the driver’s seat and a marijuana bud under the front seat. After failing field sobriety tests and providing an insufficient breath sample, police arrested her and took her to the police station for booking, where she was uncooperative. No one could pick her up, so she was taken to St. Croix County Jail. She was cited $187 for possession of THC, $187 for possess open intoxicants in motor vehicle – driver, $861 for OWI, and $200 for operating without a license (second within three years). She allowed police to park her vehicle so it didn’t have to be towed.

Edward Lee Relander, 19, Hudson, was cited $124 for exhibition of power (age 17 and over) after a traffic stop for a burnout at 9:39 a.m. at Wasson Lane and Division Street.

Police were called at 8:45 p.m. to 111 Sylla St. for a runaway juvenile. The juvenile was angry about cleaning their room. The mother located the juvenile at 9:50 p.m. at residence in the 100 block of Apollo Road.

At 11:52 p.m., an officer driving on East Cemetery Road saw a white van trying to do donuts in the River Falls High School parking lot (818 Cemetery Road). When the van’s driver saw the officer pull in, it parked, turned on its headlights, then left the parking lot. The van had no license plates. Police conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as William Feisthauer, 21, River Falls. Feisthauer said he was doing donuts because it was the “first snow.” While speaking with him, police saw a blue metal drug grinder on the back seat. During a vehicle search, police also located a one-hitter pipe, 10 Midrodrine tablets, .38 special ammunition in the front passenger storage compartment and a butterfly knife next to the driver’s seat. They also seized a license plate in the van that didn’t belong to the driver or vehicle. Feisthauer said the vehicle belonged to his ex-girlfriend’s family member and was probably going to go back to him. A 15-yearold passenger was picked up by a family member, while Feisthauer was taken to the police station, cited $187 for possess drug paraphernalia and $73.60 for fail/display vehicle license plates. He was released to a family friend while the vehicle was impounded.

Sunday, Nov. 14

At 4:18 p.m., a BP employee reported a gas drive-off that had occurred at 1:30 p.m. when the station’s credit card payment option was down. Staff informed a man, who pumped $49.64 in gas, to pay inside when finished. The man said he didn’t have cash on him, but would pay later. Richard Franklin Olson, 40, Colfax, provided his name, phone number and driver’s license number. Police left a voicemail for Olson, who called back at 7:12 p.m. He denied being in River Falls. The case is under investigation.

At 9:42 p.m., police were called to Our House Senior Living (902 S. Wasson Lane) for a suspicious vehicle. A complainant said a black car had pulled out from Wildcat Court onto Wasson Lane with no lights on, almost striking them. The man followed her into the Our House parking lot, got out of the vehicle, stood beside it, then got back into it and proceeded north on Wasson Lane. An officer traveling southbound on Highway 65 north of Division Street saw a vehicle matching its description pass by with heavy front-end damage. The officer turned around and pulled the vehicle over on Highway 35 near Radio Road for an out headlight. The driver, Deonta Martez Traxler, 25, said the damage was from awhile ago. As police spoke with Traxler, they noticed a deployed steering wheel airbag. He said he was saving up money to fix the vehicle. Traxler was cited $200 for operating without a license (second within three years) and released.