The following incidents were reported to River Falls Police Department Aug. 29 through Sept. 9, 2025.

Friday, Aug. 29

Police responded at 8:47 p.m. to River Falls Area Hospital (1629 E. Main St.) for an intoxicated, disorderly man. Police had brought Jerome Walter Zemke, 51, River Falls, to the hospital after finding him laying on a bench near the White Pathway, highly intoxicated. He was upset because he wanted a ride back downtown. Staff said he had woken up agitated, threw a bed pan at a nurse and used derogatory names. He also removed a blood pressure cuff and other monitoring devices and tried to leave the room. Police arrested him for battery and disorderly conduct and transported him to St. Croix County Jail. He was also trespassed from the hospital.

Saturday, Aug. 30

• Officers were dispatched to a one-vehicle crash at 8:40 a.m. at 1211 Sunset Lane. A 2004 Ford Ranger, driven by Harlyn Louis Puhrmann, 87, River Falls, was backing out of Puhrmann’s driveway. He accidentally hit the brake and accelerator at the same time, continued backwards, and struck the house at 1211 Sunset Lane, belonging to Sheryl A. Bruggeman, 68, River Falls. Puhrmann’s truck had minor damage. He reported no injuries.
• At 1:40 p.m., police were informed of a domestic incident that had occurred at 9 a.m. at 1450 S. Wasson Lane #35. Police met a woman at the hospital who told them her husband, Brandon Cooper Backhaus, 45, River Falls, had twisted her arm behind her back to take her phone away from her and threatened to throw it in the toilet. She has bruises on her wrist and arm. He fled with their two children to Como Zoo, then later the Wisconsin Dells. Lake Delton police arrested him at 11:34 p.m. for battery and domestic disorderly conduct, then transported him to Sauk County Jail. The mother was able to retrieve her children safely from the Dells. They were unharmed.

Sunday, Aug. 31

• At 8:41 a.m., a resident reported four garbage cans missing from the White Pathway (374 S. Winter St.) Police located two of the cans in the river near the dam and notified public works personnel. There are no suspects.
• Police responded to a disagreement at 1:31 p.m. at 1495 Riverside Drive between three women. One of the women had been acting as a caregiver for a neighbor, who had recently been released from a months-long hospital stay. She was frustrated with the patient’s adult daughter and the condition of their home. The mother/daughter felt the neighbor was overstepping her bounds and wanted her out of their home. The parties agreed to separate.
• At 4:55 p.m., police were informed of a domestic incident that had taken place earlier in the evening at 416 Griffey St. Christopher Allen Wren, 41, River Falls, called police to let them know he had left the residence after an incident with his wife. He also admitted a restraining order from Crow Wing County, Minn., prohibits him from communicating with her, but said they’ve been living together. The woman told police Wren had put her in a choke hold and thrown a bottle of wine near her in front of two children. She feared for her safety and told police she had seen him drive by after leaving. Officers pulled him over after seeing him drive through the neighborhood. He was arrested for domestic disorderly conduct, violate foreign protection order, domestic strangulation and suffocation and intimidate victim – domestic and transported to Pierce County Jail.
• At 7 p.m., police responded to a mobile home at 1450 S. Wasson Lane for a disturbance. The residents reported that a man later identified as Daniel John Kukuk, 38, River Falls, had walked by staring at the woman, who was on her porch. Kukuk allegedly began to scream at her, which prompted her partner to exit the home and tell Kukuk to leave. Kukuk ran away, but not before allegedly stating that he was going to return and kill them. He returned about an hour later and continued to yell in the yard. When confronted again, he ran north. Police located Kukuk at his trailer, where he tried to run from them. He smelled of alcohol and admitted to drinking a liter of alcohol earlier in the day, which violated his probation. He was detained and arrested for felony bail jumping, disorderly conduct, possess drug paraphernalia and possession of THC. He became belligerent when told he was being arrested and said he’d kill himself at the jail. He tried beating his head on a door and threatened to harm the officer and their family while being transported to Pierce County Jail. A battery or threat to law enforcement officer charge was added to his list. At the jail, he had to be placed in a padded cell and put on suicide watch.
• At 9:30 p.m., a resident at 1510 Cemetery Road called police to accuse her former roommate of stealing $600 from her sock drawer. The former friend/roommate denied taking the money or knowing it existed. The case was not resolved.

Monday, Sept. 1

• At 4:07 p.m., police were informed that two Republican political signs had been stolen from the yard at 617 S. Main St. The signs had been positioned near the house; the complainant estimated they were worth about $20 each. There are no suspects.
• Esteban Eduardo Arellano, 19, River Falls, was cited $124 for operate without valid license and $161.80 for display unauthorized vehicle registration plate after a traffic complaint for driving over the center line at 4:07 p.m. at Wasson Lane and Cudd Avenue. Arellano said he was driving his mother’s vehicle and didn’t know how a 2026 sticker ended up on the license plate when it wasn’t registered. Police removed the plates and told him to find a ride home while the vehicle was parked.
• At 9:54 p.m., complainants reported finding a 2-year-old boy in the roadway in front of 423 E. Cascade Ave. A driver saw the boy in the roadway and thought at first he was an animal. Others in the neighborhood arrived to assist. The boy’s mother arrived and said her son had left the scene of a barbecue on Fourth Street when she turned her back for 10 seconds. Police planned to inform Child Protective Services of the incident.
• At 10:33 p.m., police responded to 1450 S. Wasson Lane #71 for a possible stolen vehicle complaint. A woman said her ex-boyfriend had taken their 2008 Ford Escape without consent. They had an agreement for her to use it though it was titled in his name. She said she saw her ex and his new girlfriend in the area earlier in the evening, at which point he swore at her. Police located the suspect at 303 Jefferson St. but not the missing vehicle. Angel Ignacio Alatorre, 36, River Falls, denied going over to the mobile home park, which would have violated his probation. He slammed to door in officers’ faces, who applied for and received a felony warrant. After refusing to leave the residence despite PA announcements, eventually Alatorre came outside and police arrested him for a probation violation and misdemeanor bail jumping. At Pierce County Jail, he registered a BAC of .112.

Tuesday, Sept. 2

• Officers responded to a dog bite at 10:50 a.m. at 1212 Foster St. The 65-year-old victim said he was assisting electrical line locators in his backyard at 1196 Foster St. at 9:50 a.m. when a French bulldog jumped up near a fence and bit his right forearm. He told police this is the second time the dog attacked him in a year. The dog’s owner had let the rabies vaccination expire, so the dog had to undergo a 10-day quarantine at home with three checks by a veterinarian. The victim decided to seek medical care after hearing the dog’s rabies vaccine had expired.
• Rudy Antelmo Alarcon, 34, St. Paul, was cited $187 for hit and run – unattended vehicle after a two-vehicle crash at 11:34 a.m. in the parking lot of 2988 Radio Road. Alarcon, driving a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, backed into an unoccupied 2014 Mazda 3, owned by Madisyn O. Krueger, River Falls. Alarcon told two witnesses he didn’t have insurance and was evasive when speaking to police. His vehicle had no damage, while Krueger’s vehicle had minor damage. No injuries were reported.
• At 8:45 p.m., police saw a 2013 Chevy Camaro heading south at Main and Park streets with heavy damage and squealing tires. They located the vehicle parked at 241 W. Johnson St. The 16-year-old juvenile driver told police had struck a deer on County Road J, lost control, veered into the ditch and struck a tree. The shredded tires, dislodged rear bumper and damaged trunk didn’t look to be from a deer impact crash. The juvenile was cited $200 for operate without valid license. He reported no injuries.

Wednesday, Sept. 3

At 11:15 p.m., an officer saw an occupied vehicle parked after hours at Glen Park (355 Park St.) The vehicle smelled of marijuana, prompting a search, which revealed a backpack containing a jar of marijuana (21 grams), a grinder and rolling papers. Skyler Brianne Kozlowski, 20, Waukesha, was cited $187 for possession of THC and $187 for possess drug paraphernalia. Kozlowski and her companion walked home when officers deemed it unsafe for them to drive.

Thursday, Sept. 4

Police were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash at 10:37 a.m. in the parking lot of 1150 N. Main St. between a 2017 Ford Escape, driven by John Roy Smith, 86, River Falls, and a legally parked 2025 Chevy Trax, owned by Anthony Thomas Cole, St. Paul. Smith’s vehicle had no damage, while Cole’s had minor damage. No injuries were reported.

Friday, Sept. 5

• Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash at 7:03 a.m. on the Highway 35/65 off-ramp (northbound) between a 2026 Chevy Equinox, driven by Tracey Ann Budworth, 56, Prescott, and a 2018 Toyota Rav4, driven by Ryan Scott Subera, 30, River Falls. Budworth was stopped behind a vehicle at the stop sign when Subera rear-ended her. Both vehicles had minor damage. No injuries were reported.
• At 9:03 a.m., police responded to a home in the 500 block of Seventh Street for a disturbance. A local judge reported a 66-year-old woman throwing garbage across his yard, yelling at him while he was walking his dog past her residence, accusing him of harming children and breaking glass in the street. When police arrived, the woman was incoherent and erratic, constantly going in and out of her house and into the street. Police contacted St. Croix County Adult Protective Services for guidance.
• Officers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash at 9:55 a.m. at Division and Main streets between a 2022 Tesla Model 3, driven by Brandon Michael Rivard, 42, Hudson, and a 2016 Toyota Camry, driven by Andrew Dieringer Mumm, 21, River Falls. Both vehicles were stopped at a red light on Division Street at Main Street. Mumm said the lid of his coffee came off, causing him to spill coffee in his lap, which caused his foot to come off the brake. He rear-ended Rivard’s vehicle, which was in front of him. Rivard complained of a sore neck but declined EMS attention. Rivard’s vehicle had minor damage while Mumm’s had no damage.
• At 11:15 a.m., a Hudson resident called River Falls police to report her AR rifle stolen from the trunk of her vehicle while it was parked on Spring Street, sometime between Aug. 2-13. A friend had sent her a photo of a River Falls resident with the rifle, which she showed police. Her friend had been in charge of the vehicle while she was gone, but didn’t have permission to remove the gun. Officers entered the firearm as stolen and worked on contacting two suspects who were seen in photos with the gun on social media.
• Krista Joan Damico, 46, River Falls, was fined $691 for failure to stop for a school bus after a traffic incident at 7:08 a.m. at Cemetery Road and Sorenson Street.
• At 12:47 p.m., police were dispatched to 398 Troy St. for a woman jumping onto the hood of a vehicle. When officers arrived, they saw the woman yelling at a man outside the business. The woman continued yelling at the man, then turned to walk through a garage door into the business. She didn’t listen to commands to stop and get on the ground. She went toward the man and began yelling at him again. When police tried to detain Cassandra Lee Windisch, 41, St. Paul, she resisted and tried to hold her hands away from police. Witnesses said she frequently harasses her ex-boyfriend at the business and refused to leave. She smelled of alcohol and police found a White Claw in the grass near her vehicle. A female officer removed a pocketknife from Windisch’s bra. She was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting or obstructing an officer and transported to St. Croix County Jail.

Saturday, Sept. 6

• At 12:40 a.m., police tried to pull over a Chevy Aspen van for speeding near Main and Foster streets, but the vehicle kept going, swerving in its lane. The operator missed the driveway at 905 State St. and stopped the van in the yard. Police ordered the driver, Ahdronemus Demetric Gooden, 45, River Falls, out of the vehicle. He had bloodshot, glossy eyes, slurred speech and smelled like alcohol. He was increasingly argumentative with police, demanding body cam footage, arguing that he wasn’t speeding and refusing to give his address. After conducting field sobriety tests and registering a BAC of .184, police obtained a warrant for a blood draw at the hospital, where Gooden remained uncooperative and rude. He was ultimately arrested and cited $850 for OWI-third, obstructing an officer, $136.60 for operating left of center and $124 for operate without valid license. He was taken to Pierce County Jail.
• At 4:02 a.m., police found Sonny Ray O’Donnell, 18, Northfield, Minn., sleeping on a sidewalk outside of Freeman Drug (104 S. Main St.) When he woke up, he told officers he’d been at two frat parties earlier in the evening but became separated from his friends. He registered a BAC of .16; police cited him $187 for underage drinking/possession. Officers gave him a courtesy ride back to his dorm.
• Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at 1:27 p.m. in the Meyer Middle School (230 N. Ninth St.) parking lot between a 2020 Chevy Equinox, driven by James Allan Quilling, 71, Roberts, and a legally parked 2005 Toyota Tundra, owned by Erich W. Pustol, Quilling had attempted to parallel park, struck the Tundra, then moved to another spot. He said he didn’t realize he had struck the Tundra. Both vehicles had minor damage. No injuries were reported.
• Officers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash at 2:21 p.m. in the 100 block of South Main Street between a 2011 Hyundai Tucson, driven by Patricia Kay Williams, 80, Cottage Grove, Minn., and a legally parked 1991 Chevy Corvette, owned by Leighton Lee Erickson, River Falls. While performing a parking maneuver, Williams backed into the Corvette, causing minor damage to both vehicles. Williams thought she hit a curb. No injuries were reported.
• Police were called to a one-vehicle crash at 5:26 p.m. on Hoffman Place. A 2016 Ford Transit, driven by Joshua John Lee, 37, River Falls, was navigating the curve too fast, hit the curb and went into the ditch about 50 feet. The road was wet from a recent storm. The vehicle was towed due to disabling damage. Lee, who reported no injuries, was cited $136.60 for driving too fast for conditions.
• Police were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash at 7:41 p.m. in the Culver’s parking lot (1109 N. Main St.) between a 2019 Ford Ranger, driven by Gerald Roger Keithley, 78, River Falls, and a legally parked 2025 Chevy Tahoe, driven by Jay Collin Christianson, 53, Prescott. Keithley rear-ended Christianson in the drive-thru line at Culver’s, causing minor damage to both vehicles. Neither driver nor Christianson’s passengers, Bethany Leigh Christianson, 50, River Falls; Jeffrey A. Eithun, 57, Milton; and Kara A. Fitters, 54, Milton, reported injuries.
• At 4 p.m., police were notified of a disturbance that had occurred earlier in the morning at a home in the 400 block of Griffey Street. Two teenage children reported their mother’s boyfriend screaming at her and being hit with a curtain rod two weeks prior. Police documented the incident.

Sunday, Sept. 7

• Emiliano Gabriel Richardson, 27, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., was cited $124 for urinating in public at 12:35 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel (100 E. Spring St.)
• Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at 7:56 a.m. on Sunset Lane just west of Winter Street between a 2016 Chrysler 200, driven by Ella Marie Graf-Spielman, 25, River Falls, and a legally parked 2003 Toyota Camry, owned by Derek John Unger, River Falls. Graf-Spielman was driving along Sunset Lane into the sun and didn’t see Unger’s vehicle, which she struck, causing moderate damage to both. No injuries were reported.
• At 9:50 p.m., a caller reported his son’s bike stolen at Veterans Park sometime between 5:20-7:30 p.m. The $1,200 Scott Genesis 920 2015 bike is white with orange and black accents, the words “Fox 34” on the front forks, lights on the tire rims and red pedals. The bike is worth $1,252.

Monday, Sept. 8

Gilbert Orantes, 32, River Falls, was arrested and cited $500 for OWI-second, $124 for operate without valid license, $98.80 for violation of child safety restraint – child under 4 and $124 for speeding after a traffic stop at 11:18 p.m. at Main and Pine streets. The vehicle smelled of marijuana; police found nuggets of it in the vehicle, along with an empty beer can. A 3-year-old child was in the car without a car seat or seatbelt. After performing field sobriety tests, police arrested Orantes for OWI and took him to the hospital for a blood draw. The child’s mother was a passenger in the vehicle.

Tuesday, Sept. 9

Brandon Terrell Jackson, 35, River Falls, was cited $124 for operating while suspended when police responded to Kwik Trip (1200 S. Main St.) for a welfare check. Jackson wanted people to check around his residence at 329 W. Charlotte St. for stalkers and suspicious people. He admitted to not taking medication consistently for schizophrenia and paranoia. His sponsor arrived to collect him and the vehicle.