Court Report: February 4, 2026

New York woman waives prelim hearing in Eagle River fraud case

Elizabeth Mewes, 54, of New York, waived a preliminary hearing last week in Vilas County Court on one felony charge of fraud against a financial institution and one felony charge of misappropriating ID to obtain money.

The court found probable cause in the case. The defense motioned for a bond reduction and that was granted. Mewes’ bond went from $400,000 cash to $100,000. If bond is posted, conditions include having no contact with the co-defendants, the victim or any witness.

Mewes can not leave the state without a further court order. And she must provide an address where she is living with written permission to be living there before being released from custody. A judicial pretrial was scheduled for March 4 at 11 a.m. The alleged offenses took place on Dec. 2, 2025.

Patrick Ninham, 55, of Keshena, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on one felony charge of fifth-or-sixth-offense OWI at a plea/sentencing hearing last week.

Judge Martha Milanowski sentenced Ninham to 4.5 years in the Wisconsin Prison System, which includes 18 months of confinement and three years of extended supervision. There are also three years of license revocation and an ignition interlock device. There is also a $2,400 fine plus costs totaling $4,226. The sentence will run concurrently with what he is currently serving. The offense took place on Aug. 13, 2025.

Alan Ward, 61, of Conover, was placed on probation for 30 months with conditions at a plea/sentencing hearing on one felony charge of possessing a firearm-NGI of a felony.
Judge Daniel Overbey stayed a sentence of one year of confinement and two years of extended supervision for the probation period. There were $518 in court costs, payable to the Clerk of Court’s Office.

Allen Sadowski, 46, of Watertown, had a bond motion to reduce his bond of $15,000 cash was denied. Sadowski is in custody and being charged with one felony of stalking, a previous conviction of a violent crime, and one felony charge for bail jumping. Conditions of Sadowski’s bond include no social media use, no contact with the victim, victim’s family members, or workplace, and no internet access. The alleged offenses took place on Aug. 21, 2025. An adjourned initial appearance was scheduled for Feb. 9 at 9 a.m.