The following incidents were reported to the River Falls Police Department Jan. 31 through Feb. 14.

Tuesday, Jan. 31

At 11:17 a.m., a complainant at 223 E. Maple St. reported that his rear driver’s side window had been busted out sometime between 8 p.m. Jan. 30 and 11:17 a.m. Jan. 31. When police arrived, the found a BB hole in the 2008 Ford F150’s window and part of a BB on the ground. The estimated cost to repair the window is $100.

Wednesday, Feb. 1

At 9:40 a.m., a River Falls High School student’s mother reported another student for threatening her child’s friend over Snapchat. The mother is in the process of getting a restraining order against the suspect.

Police responded at 12:03 p.m. to Heritage Park (232 W. Maple St.) for a property damage and restraining order violation complaint. A woman reported that three tires had been slashed on her 2013 Hyundai Sonata; the vehicle had also been keyed, the rear license plate cover damaged and a carseat slashed. The damage total was estimated to be $1,500. The suspect(s) had also slashed all four tires on her boyfriend’s 2008 BMW 328, which would cost $1,000 to replace. The couple last saw their vehicles untouched at 11 p.m. Jan. 31 and discovered the damage at 7 a.m. They named a suspect, an ex-girlfriend whom they both have a restraining order against. The ex had posted a video on social media the night the damage occurred showing her heading to River Falls. The victims said the suspect had put GPS trackers on their vehicles before, which were discovered at a car shop. The ex had also messaged the boyfriend indicating she was getting revenge. The case remains under investigation.

Officers were called at 9:03 p.m. to Dollar Tree (1174 N. Main St.) for a suspicious man who wouldn’t leave and was asking the clerk when she was done with work. When police arrived, the saw man described run across the street and caught up with him near Walgreen’s. Police identified him as a 30-year-old Duluth, Minn. man He told police he was in treatment at Kinnic Falls and denied being at Dollar Tree. His story changed shortly thereafter, and he said he’d been at the store applying for a job. The clerk told police the man just hung out in the store, asking odd questions about when they make the deposit and when they close. He asked her at one point to take him to the bathroom. When police spoke to him, the man was carrying an unopened bottle of cough medicine. Security footage later revealed he had stolen it from the store. The case remains under investigation.

At 7:57 p.m., police performed a welfare check on a suicidal man (per Northwest Connections) at a home in the 600-block of Sunset Lane. Police could not locate the man when they checked numerous hospitals. He reached out the next day and told a family member he was seeking treatment at Regions Hospital.

Thursday, Feb. 2

At 8:50 a.m., a River Falls High School student reported to staff that another student had sent him pictures of himself she had taken of him earlier in the year, via Instagram. He didn’t know why she would do that or take his photo. He said he didn’t know her very well. Officers notified the suspect’s mother, who said she would discuss it with her.

At 2:22 p.m., a 2007 Buick Lucerne, driven by Samantha M. Nelson, 45, Prescott, struck a deer on Highway 29 just north of Sun View Drive. The vehicle had functional damage. Nelson wore a seat belt and reported no injuries.

Police responded at 8:35 p.m. to a home in the 400 block of North Wasson Lane for a juvenile complaint. The juvenile would not quit swearing at their mother, who admitted to slapping them twice. She was shoved into a freezer. Pierce County Human Services was notified of the incident and a resolution reached for the night.

Officers were called to a domestic at 11:07 p.m. at 1528 S. Wasson Lane. A neighbor had reported hearing crying and things being thrown. The couple told police they had been arguing about chores, but nothing was physical. The two separated for the evening.

Saturday, Feb. 4 Savannah Mae O’Donnell, 18, River Falls, was cited for possession of THC after police found her and a 22-year-old man in a vehicle that smelled of marijuana at 12:20 a.m. at Hoffman Park (547 Hanson Drive). Police searched O’Donnell’s vehicle and found marijuana, a grinder and a pipe. Officers gave both occupants a courtesy ride home.

Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash at 10:25 a.m. at Family Fresh (303 S. Main St.) between a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse, driven by Carol Marie Betzel, 73, River Falls, and a legally parked 2003 Cadillac Seville, owned by Becky M. Selden, River Falls. Betzel cut a right turn too short and struck the rear passenger corner of the Cadillac. Both vehicles had functional damage. Betzel wore a seat belt and reported no injuries.

At 2 p.m., a complainant reported her 2003 Jeep Liberty had been stolen from 625 N. Main St. The vehicle had been locked, but a key was hidden inside. The Jeep was located at 11:45 p.m. in Zionsville, Ind. Officers there said the driver, identified as Joseph Macon Jr., 43, River Falls, said people were following him and admitted to taking the vehicle. Macon has two open felony St. Croix County cases. He had been staying periodically with a resident at 625 N. Main St.

Kellie Marie Finke Tchida, 31, River Falls, was arrested for battery, disorderly conduct and a probation violation after police responded at 10:15 p.m. to 452 N. Eighth St. for a disturbance. Finke Tchida was at the neighbor’s house drinking, but refused to leave when asked to do so. She locked herself in a bedroom. When one woman pushed her toward the door, she pushed the woman onto the floor. Police located Finke Tchida at her residence, where she registered a BAC of .227. Drinking violated her probation. She was transported to Pierce County Jail without incident.

Sunday, Feb. 5

At 2:20 p.m., a woman at 205 ½ W. Cedar St. reported a Cash App card that had gone missing when she gave two people a ride. When she realized the card gone, she transferred all money out of the account. She received a notification at 2:06 p.m. that someone had attempted to use the card for a $15 purchase at Northtown Cleaners. When she went down, everyone there said they had no knowledge of the card. She named two suspects.

Officers responded at 6 p.m. to Valu Stay Inn (708 N. Main St.) for a threats complaint. A resident said he had paid a female resident to clean his room, but she didn’t and wouldn’t give him his money back. The woman said she was scared of him and never took any money to clean his room. Another resident backed up her story, and added that the woman had a man on the phone who threatened to break the complainant’s legs if he didn’t leave the woman alone. The woman told police the man on the phone, who she has a restraining order against, now lives in Oregon.

Police were called at 7:20 p.m. to Positive Alternatives (2860 Williams Ave.) for three runaway juveniles who had a plan to steal alcohol and drugs somewhere in town. After looking multiple places, the juveniles were located walking near Veterans Park. They ran from police but were detained. All three were referred to their case workers.

Monday, Feb. 6

Police were notified at 12:28 p.m. that a Positive Alternatives juvenile had run away from River Falls High School (818 Cemetery Road). The juvenile was located at the group home.

Tuesday, Feb. 7

At 7:30 a.m., a River Falls High School (818 Cemetery Road) reported his iPhone 11 had been stolen Feb. 16 sometime between 12:47 and 12:48 p.m. The student last remembered having it in the bathroom before lunch.

Bryant L. Killibrew, 51, homeless, turned himself in at 12:28 p.m. on two active warrants. Police picked him up at Main and Division streets and transported him to St. Croix County Jail.

Police responded at 6:38 p.m. to Culver’s (1109 N. Main St.) for a possible impaired driver who struck the vehicle in front of her in the drive-thru. The driver was slurring her words and rear-ended a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado at least twice, according to employees. The woman, Kristine Kay Neimi, 61, River Falls, smelled of alcohol and could hardly speak sentences. She registered a .308 BAC. After being medically cleared, she was transported to St. Croix County Jail and cited $500 for OWI-second.

Wednesday, Feb. 8

At 10:11 a.m., a woman reported that her former friend, who lives at 1450 S. Wasson Lane, had been pet sitting her Tuxedo cat since September while she was in treatment, and refused to give the cat back. When police contacted the pet sitter, she at first denied having the cat. Police saw the cat through a patio window. She then said the cat had died, but when the officer said they had seen the cat, she said the cat belonged to another friend She eventually broke down and said she had taken care of the cat for the past six to eight months and didn’t feel the complainant was a good owner, even before she went into treatment. Since true ownership could not be established, they were advised it was a civil matter.

Jayne Clara Meyer, 47, Somerset, was arrested at 11:17 a.m. at 1450 S. Wasson Lane for a Department of Corrections warrant. Police transported her to St. Croix County Jail without incident.

Officers responded at 12:39 p.m. to a home in the 3500 block of Sterling Heights Drive to assist St. Croix County Human Services with an investigation. A mother had been accused of driving drunk with her children in the car. She and a man smelled of alcohol when police arrived; the mother refused to take a PBT test. The county placed the children with their father.

Jacinda Jo Goldsby, 23, River Falls, was arrested and cited $187 for possession of THC and $187 for possess drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop for speeding at 3:54 p.m. at Division and Eighth streets. When she was pulled over, the vehicle smelled of marijuana, which officers found when searching the vehicle. Her passenger was given permission to drive the vehicle home while she was booked at RFPD.

Officers responded at 3:55 p.m. to a home in the 100 block of Raymond Avenue for a welfare check on a juvenile that had sent another juvenile text messages threatening suicide. The parents were thankful law enforcement took the messages seriously and were working on getting help for the juvenile, who denied they were serious.

Police were called at 10:02 p.m. to Positive Alternatives (2860 Williams Ave.) for an out-of-control 14-year-old juvenile who kept moving the mirrors, had thrown a clipboard at and slapped another juvenile and had brought in a stick threatening to stab another resident. The juvenile was arrested for disorderly conduct and battery, booked and released to staff.

Thursday, Feb. 9

A 16-year-old River Falls High School student was cited $98.80 for habitual truancy at 10 a.m. The student had been truant five times between Sept. 1, 2022 and Jan. 24.

At 11:22 a.m., police responded to River Falls Area Hospital where a 76-yearold woman was being treated for a cat bite. The woman was pet-sitting for a neighbor at 1691 Rodao Drive. Police dropped off quarantine paperwork and notified the cat’s owner.

A River Falls woman called police to report a rental fraud scam. She said she had contacted a Craiglist ad about an apartment for rent at 353 Nicole Lane. She spoke to a man claiming to be the property manager, who advised her to send a $50 application fee over Cash App. He also requested a $1,000 deposit and told her the property was immediately available. When she drove by the property, she realized it was occupied and that she’d been scammed. She provided police with emails showing the alleged property owner to be a 53-year-old Madison man. Police referred unlawful use of license and theft – false representation charges to the district attorney’s office.

At 5:06 p.m., officers responded to Nutty Squirrel (110 S. Main St.) where a man was reported to be banging on a woman’s car, kicking it and screaming. Dispatch could hear him over the phone. When officers arrived, the woman said she had been parked there and the man, identified as Danny Lynn Wagner, 67, Ellsworth, had backed his Chevrolet Silverado into her bumper. Police could see the vehicles touching, but there appeared to be no damage. The woman said she had honked to alert him, but he kept coming. Then he got out and started swearing at her, hitting and kicking her vehicle. She was still shaking while police interviewed her. Wagner claimed she hit his vehicle and admitted to pounding on hers. During the interview, he kept referring to the woman with profane names, and the female police officer as well. He was arrested and cited $187 for disorderly conduct. Police conducted field sobriety tests on him, but did not have probable cause to arrest him for OWI. His wife said he’d had two beers at Green Mill in Hudson prior to the incident.

Friday, Feb. 10

At 12:21 p.m., a River Falls couple, both age 65, reported fraud to police. The woman explained she had started receiving messages over Google Chat from [email protected] gail.com last October. She thought she was conversing with an upand- coming country music singer of whom she’s a fan. She said she had commented on many of his social media posts. Eventually, the person told her to put money into the Bitcoin machine at The Laundry Room (402 N. Main St.) and send it to a bank account. She sent $22,000, which she thought she was investing in Bitcoin. When their bank, WESTconsin, tried to communicate with them about the transactions, the calls were intercepted somehow and the bank heard no one on the other line. Bank emails also ended up in the junk folder. The person also told her to rip up all the receipts and put them in different garbage cans around town, which she did. They also instructed her to delete all the emails and chats, which she did. She didn’t hear from them until Feb. 9, when they again requested another $10,000. She sent the money, this time to [email protected] and [email protected] gmail.com They lost $32,000 total to this person; the bank said they are unable to get the money back.

At 3:20 p.m., the manager of Devine Liquor (703B N. Main St.) reported that she was following a man down Main Street she suspected had taken at least one bottle of alcohol. The man had tried to purchase an expensive bottle of tequila, but when his card was declined, he set the bottle on the counter, left and said he’d be back in 15 minutes to pay for it. The manager could see the outline of another liquor bottle in his coat. Police found him, identified as Shawn Micheal Krasky, 42, River Falls, walking near Family Fresh. He admitted to stealing a bottle of El Tesoro, Extra Anejo Tequila ($98.99) and a bottle of Peerless Rye Whiskey ($138.99) In his coat, which he had cut the lining so he could stuff items inside, police found a Coconut Edition Redbull, a pack of 110 Dixie plates, and three cans of tuna. He was arrested for retail theft – intentionally take and transported to St. Croix County Jail. He was also trespassed from Devine Liquor.

Saturday, Feb. 11 Preston Allen Sears, 20, Ellsworth, was arrested and cited $861 for OWI, $861 for operating with PAC and $124 for exhibition of power at 12:33 a.m. near Walnut and Main streets. Officers responded to the area when they saw a large amount of smoke. They found Sears standing next to his truck, which had 4-5-foot long rubber marks behind each tire. He admitted he had done a burnout after being dropped off by a friend. An open Busch Light can was sitting in his cup holder. His eyes were bloodshot and glossy; he later admitted to drinking six to seven beers at a friend’s house. After performing standard field sobriety tests, he was booked at the station, where he registered a .12 BAC. He was released to a sober party.

Richard Alan Strandberg, 24, Hastings, Minn., was arrested and cited $861 for OWI and $861 for operating with PAC after a traffic stop at 1:16 a.m. at Main and Union streets for driving without headlights. When officers approached his vehicle, they could smell intoxicants. He said he had been drinking beer at Broz. After performing field sobriety tests and a registering a .13 BAC, he was arrested and booked at the station. He was then released into the sober care of his wife.

At 2:27 a.m., police found a man hunched over in the driver’s seat passed out in a truck parked at Main and Elm streets. Officers knocked on the window several times before the man woke up. The man stepped out of the vehicle, which smelled strongly of marijuana, and immediately stumbled. He appeared confused. He was identified as Beau Allen Merriman, 24, River Falls. He registered a BAC of .176, which violated a bond condition of absolute sobriety, so he was arrested. In his vehicle, police found a red metal container with marijuana, a yellow glass pipe, an empty Miller High Life, and two empty Red Swipe bottles and one half empty. Police transported Merriman to Pierce County Jail.

Sunday, Feb. 12

Police responded at 9:27 p.m. to 237 Broadway St. for a domestic between father and son. The father said his son, Dillon Joel Sweeney, 27, River Falls, had been living with him since September. Sweeney, who he believed was drunk, began ranting and raving about wanting to play video games. He eventually dumped a half jug of water over his father’s head, plus through a vape at his face. Sweeney had taken off on foot, but soon came back, wearing only one shoe. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and misdemeanor bail jumping and transported to Pierce County Jail.

Officers were called at 10:40 p.m. to Positive Alternatives (2860 Williams Ave.), where a 14-year-old resident was threatening others and destroying the house. She was also kicking a door trying to get at the people in a room. When police arrived, they found a desk flipped upside down and food thrown throughout the kitchen. EMS arrived and transported a 16-yearold resident to the hospital while the 14-year-old was detained in handcuffs. She told police she had kicked a door 20 times, threatened people, thrown food, flipped furniture, broke a screen, ripped up posters, thrown a remote at someone, broke the house phone and Roku, and dumped toothpaste in someone’s room. Other residents told police the juvenile had threatened to kill them. The 16-year-old was diagnosed with a concussion from being hit with a door she was trying to barricade while the 14-year-old went berserk. Officers called the juvenile’s intake worker, who said there was nowhere else to put her, so she had to stay at Positive Alternatives. Charges were referred.

Monday, Feb. 13

At 5:02 a.m., police were called to the Radisson Hotel (100 E. Spring St.) for an assault. The complainant said a woman had come into the hotel looking for his friend. The victim said the woman has been following him around and calling him from various numbers. He hung out at the Radisson to avoid her coming to his apartment. Video surveillance shows the victim and his friend sitting on a couch in the lobby. At 5:01 a.m., the woman walks into the hotel toward the victim, tries to take his phone out of his hand, then leaves. Police confirmed she has three open felony cases which restrict her from having contact with the victim as part of her bond conditions. She was not located at that time.

At 7:13 a.m., a caller reported her son’s backpack had been stolen out of her mother’s unlocked vehicle while it was parked in the Radisson Hotel (100 E. Spring St.) lower lot sometime between 7:30-9:30 a.m. Feb. 12. The backpack and contents, including clothes, an Apple iPad, winter jacket, electric razor and other items, was valued at $1,500. The case remains open.

Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at 12:12 p.m. at Maple and Fourth streets between a 2019 Subaru Legacy, driven by Ioana Ghenciu, 50, River Falls, and a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox, driven by Mitchel Mark Paul, 21, Edgar. Ghenciu was traveling south on Fourth Street, while Paul was heading west on Maple Street and had stopped at the stop sign. Paul did not see Ghenciu approaching and proceeded into the intersection, where he struck her. Ghenciu’s vehicle was towed due to disabling damage; Paul’s vehicle sustained functional damage. Both drivers and Ghenciu’s 14-year-old passenger wore seat belts and reported no injuries. Paul was cited for fail/yield right/ way from stop sign.

At 12:24 p.m., a caller reported that his ex-girlfriend was trying to pry his door open at 320 N. Second St. and that she had taken the food he had ordered. She was no longer on the scene. The victim identified her as Jennifer Lynne Javner, 32, River Falls. He said he had ordered a Subway sandwich to be delivered via Door Dash. When he went downstairs to get it, Javner was hiding around the corner, took the sandwich and ran. He ordered another one and this time, the driver dropped it off at the building’s front door. When he tried to go get it, Javner reappeared, stuck her foot in front of the security door and tried to get in. Two witnesses reported hearing the victim tell Javner to leave him alone. The victim said Javner constantly stalks him at home and work. Police gathered surveillance video from his job, which showed evidence of her stalking him there. He told police that she has told him that if they’re not together, he will die. Officers located Javner and arrested her during at traffic stop at 1 a.m. Feb. 14 near Cemetery Road and Emory Drive. She was wearing the same clothes from when she tried to talk to the victim at the Radisson at 5:02 a.m. Feb. 13. She was arrested for theft, disorderly conduct and felony bail jumping (three counts) and transported to Pierce County Jail.

Tuesday, Feb. 14

Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at 6:04 a.m. at Maple and Dallas streets between a 2007 Kia, driven by a 16-year-old River Falls juvenile, and a legally parked 1998 Chevrolet K2500, owned by Kevin L. Westhuis, River Falls. The Chevy was parked on the south side of Maple Street . The Kia was heading south in an alley and attempted to turn left onto Maple Street. The driver was unable to make the turn and struck the truck. Police thought the crash might have been caused by a mechanical failure due to fluid loss. The Kia was towed due to disabling damage. The Chevy had functional damage. The juvenile wore a seat belt and reported no injuries.