Eagle River man gets prison time

for taking snomo, revoked cases

A 22-year-old Eagle River man who was found guilty of operating a snowmobile with­out the owner’s consent, was sentenced to four years, six months in the Wisconsin Prison System in Vilas County Circuit Court last week.

Justin M. Church was sentenced to one year, six months’ initial confinement and three years’ extended supervision, with 75 days credit for time already  served.

A second charge of operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent was dismissed, but was read in for restitution and sentencing.

Conditions of the sentence by Vilas County Circuit Judge Neal A. Nielsen III included payment of restitution of $1,161 to Vilas County and others to be determined within 30 days; and alcohol and other drug abuse counseling as deemed necessary. Nielsen said the sentence will run consecutive to several revoked cases.

According to the complaint, Church took one snowmobile from a motel  and a second one from a pawn shop, both on Highway 70 West in Eagle River, sometime between Jan. 21 and 22. One sled was sunk in the Eagle River near Riverview Park and the other sled was recovered Jan. 25 abandoned on a snowmobile trail along Highway 70 West.

Church also was sentenced on three revoked cases, including sexual assault of a child under 16. He was originally given probation for 10 years during a sentencing hearing May 24, 2010, on that charge.

A new sentence issued by Nielsen for the sexual assault conviction is seven years in the Wisconsin Prison System, with four years initial confinement and three years’ extended supervision

Church also was previously convicted of two counts of sexual assault of a child and two counts of felony bail jumping, for which sentencing was withheld and he received probation.

On the two sexual assault charges and one felony bail jumping charge, he was now sentenced to seven years in the Wisconsin Prison System to run concurrent with the previous sentence, with four years’ initial confinement and three years of extended supervision. He will receive credit for 992 days served.

On the second felony bail jumping charge, he was sentenced to three years in the Wisconsin Prison System to run concurrent with the previous sentence, with one year of initial confinement and two years of extended supervision. He received credit for 766 days served.

Nielsen said conditions of the extended supervision included no contact with minor females; alcohol and other drug abuse assessment and follow-through as deemed necessary; and counseling for cognitive thinking and impulsive and corrective thinking.

In other felony cases, Robert D. Turgeon, 55, of Arbor Vitae, had a sentence withheld and was given three years of probation after being convicted of fifth-offense operating while intoxicated.

Conditions of Turgeon’s probation include: alcohol and other drug abuse assessment and any treatment deemed necessary; not to possess or consume intoxicants; no taverns; fined $4,500; driver’s license revoked for 36 months; ignition interlock device for 36 months;  and six months in the county jail to start within six months. Judge Nielsen said up to 60 days of the jail time could be served in an inpatient facility with day-for-day credit upon successful completion of any treatment.

Charges of operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration and operating a motor vehicle were dismissed.

Turgeon was arrested after law enforcement officers saw him walking across the Lake of the Torches Casino parking lot and suspected he was intoxicated. They told him not to drive his vehicle, but he drove out of the parking lot and was pursued by an officer who activated the lights on his squad car. Turgeon then pulled into the next driveway of the casino parking lot and was arrested in the lot for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. According to the complaint, he had a blood-alcohol level of .296.

It was decided at a status hearing last week that all cases for Joseph W. Negani III, 22, of Lac du Flambeau, will be consolidated and a pretrial conference was set for May 29 at 9:30 a.m.

Negani was charged with arson of property other than a building and criminal damage to property, both as a repeater. He is alleged to have started a Dumpster on fire at Northern Waste Inc. in Lac du Flambeau Oct. 21, 2011.

He also is charged with second-degree reckless en­dan­germent, attempted ar­son of a building, two counts of misdemeanor bail jumping and disorderly conduct, all stemming from an incident March 18, 2010, in Lac du Flambeau. It’s alleged that he was intoxicated and held a knife to another man’s neck and then threatened to burn down the man’s home.

It was noted at the status hearing that nothing has been done regarding a motion to revoke a deferred entry of judgment agreement with Negani stemming from another felony charge and sentencing in 2010.

Vilas County District Attorney Albert Moustakis moved to dismiss charges, without prejudice, against Kristina R. Ramirez, 26, of Lac du Flambeau. She was originally charged with delivery of schedule I or II?narcotics, party to a crime,  June 22, 2011. The defendant also was released from her $2,000 signature bond.

Quentin C. Negani, 20, of Lac du Flambeau, charged with burglary of a building or dwelling and misdemeanor theft, both party to crime, had a preliminary hearing set for April 25 at 3 p.m.

According to the complaint, Negani is alleged to have entered an apartment by kicking in a door at 379 Tomahawk Circle in Lac du Flambeau Jan. 20 and took  a television, PlayStation® and five to seven electronic games.