Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Friday, August 28, 2026
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Community celebrates National Night Out Tuesday
Milana Doné
Monument Square was one location for festivities. Local organizations manned booths, and police officers and sheriff's deputies interacted with locals.
Racine Police officer Gabby Hood spoke to attendees, saying she has fond memories of growing up in Racine and attending National Night Out as a child.
Representative Angelina Cruz for the Wisconsin State Assembly said community residents are more likely to help each other or call their local law enforcement for help if they know them.
"Communities are safest when neighbors actually know one another," she said.
Friday, July 17, 2026
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Monday, June 29, 2026
Friday, June 26, 2026
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Mt. Pleasant police, fire departments seeing increased workloads
Holly Gilvary
MOUNT PLEASANT — Police calls in Mount Pleasant are “consistently going up,” with the police department seeing a 4.7% increase from 2024 to 2025 and a 7.5% increase from 2023 to 2025.
That’s according to Mount Pleasant Police Chief Robert Botsch, who delivered the Mount Pleasant Police Department’s 2025 annual report to village trustees May 11.
South Shore Fire Chief Dustin Ellis also presented the fire department’s annual report.
"As of today at 3 o'clock, we're about 300 calls higher this year than we were at the same time last year, already," Botsch said.
MPPD received 26,115 calls last year, according to the annual report.
Botsch said the department is focused on addressing hazardous driving, such as speeding and impaired operation, adding that overall traffic accidents increased in 2025 because the volume of traffic is increasing.
"Everything is unfortunately going up in the traffic area because we have a lot more traffic that is in our area," he said. "We've got a lot more construction that's going on."
The department reported 722 wrecks resulting in property damage, 256 resulting in injuries and 134 involving a hit and run.
The number of traffic stops is up as officers conduct more patrols "to try and adjust behavior," Botsch said.
This summer, MPPD will bring back its PROTECT Initiative (Proactive Operations, Traffic Enforcement and Crime-suppression Team) that it piloted in 2025 to provide additional traffic patrols and proactive enforcement from June 1 to Aug. 31.
“(Officers are) in the hotels, they’re frequenting bars, they’re trying to get in front of problems," Botsch said. "They’re a problem-solving group that just gets out and they have time to do other things.”
While all MPPD officers conduct traffic patrols and proactive enforcement during their shifts, they do so in between calls, according to Botsch. The designated PROTECT officers have the time to practice proactive enforcement for their entire shifts.
“People might complain that they've got speeders on their block; we might not have a squad during normal hours that can sit on that block because they're jumping from call to call to call to call to call,” he said. “Now, in the summer, from June 1 to Aug. 31, we might have that capability because now we've got a car that we've pulled out to just do proactive stuff.”
Last summer, PROTECT issued 177 traffic citations, conducted 13 felony arrests, 35 misdemeanor arrests, 15 municipal arrests, 23 warrant-related arrests, 39 narcotics-related arrests, three firearm-related arrests and reported 18 K-9 utilization instances.
No additional hires are necessary to staff the two-person team.
Staffing and recognition
Despite three officers leaving in 2025, MPPD ended the year fully staffed, hiring four new officers. Two of those hires finished their field training this month.
Botsch also highlighted the department’s community engagement efforts and events, such as the Lakeside COP (Community Oriented Policing) House. The Chicago Police Department visited MPPD’s COP House last year to learn more about their community engagement practices.
“We really engage well with the community and a lot of other agencies are trying to model that, and not just have a house in a neighborhood, but model the engagement, the ability to get out there, the ability to interact, the ability to build relationships," Botsch said.
MPPD also gained re-accreditation from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group through 2028 after an assessment in October. Botsch estimated that about 10% of agencies in Wisconsin have this accreditation.
SSFD calls also up
South Shore Fire Chief Dustin Ellis said the fire department responded to 6,378 incidents last year, with EMS calls accounting for 78% of those.
The call volume is down slightly from 2024, but up overall from 2021 by more than 1,000 calls, according to the department.
Department expenditures in 2025 were about $11.26 million, with a 2026 adopted budget of $12.12 million. The main costs were staffing, overtime, healthcare and equipment.
SSFD will have 64 of its 69 positions filled after the May 29 Racine County Joint Fire Training Academy, according to the department.
Ellis said SSFD’s priorities for 2026 include facility planning, automatic aid expansion, workforce development, policy improvements and the implementation of a strategic plan.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Former Prairie School employee sentenced in child pornography case
Milana Doné
RACINE — A 55-year-old former school employee was sentenced to three years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
James Broetzmann, who previously worked at the Prairie School, had faced seven counts of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to one count. The remaining counts were dismissed but read into the court record.
Broetzmann also was ordered to serve three years of extended supervision, and the court imposed a $500 surcharge for the image or copy of the image associated with the crime.
According to previous Journal Times reporting, Mount Pleasant police responded to a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and searched Broetzmann’s house July 23, 2024, reportedly finding multiple devices containing child pornography.
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
One of three people charged with child neglect last summer sentenced
Milana Doné
RACINE — An Oshkosh man was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday in connection to three young boys being found naked outside a motel room in June 2024.
Jarrel Gordon, 26, was charged with three counts of neglecting a child. The charges recognize that the children were younger than 6 and not specifically harmed.
He pleaded guilty to one count, and also was ordered to serve two years of extended supervision.
The remaining two counts were dismissed but read into the court record.
Allegations
Gordon, the father of the three children, was charged alongside the children's mother, 26-year-old Kayla Ritchie, and their uncle, 24-year-old Dalton Ritchie.
When Mount Pleasant police arrived at the motel on June 10, 2024, the children, two 5-year-olds and a 3-year-old, reportedly were naked and playing outside one of the rooms.
According to a criminal complaint, police had responded to the same location for similar complaints three times prior.
The first officer who arrived reported seeing several puddles of liquid, assumed to be urine, draining from just outside the motel room onto the pavement of the parking lot.
Police reported that the door to the motel room was half open and that the room was in disarray — with feces, clothing, refuse and dirty diapers strewn around the room.
Officers also reportedly found and seized a marijuana pipe.
Dalton Ritchie was reportedly sleeping on a soiled mattress in the back of the room. Shortly after the police woke Dalton Ritchie, who reportedly confirmed that he was temporarily responsible for the children, Gordon arrived.
According to a police report, Gordon said he knew the latch on the door was broken and that the two oldest children were able to open the door.
Kayla Ritchie arrived later and reportedly told police that the family moved into the room a month prior. She also reportedly said that she had been absent since the previous Friday because of her job.
According to the criminal complaint, all three individuals knew the children could open the door and leave the room.
On June 16 of this year, Kayla Ritchie was found guilty of one count of neglecting a child. Two identical counts were dismissed but read into the court record. Her sentence was withheld and she was placed on one year of probation.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Drone technology helping MPPD operate faster, safer
Milana Doné
MOUNT PLEASANT — The Mount Pleasant Police Department has upgraded its drone program to facilitate speed and efficiency within the department.
In late 2024, Spectrum and local law enforcement agencies discussed the benefits of drones, including quickly and efficiently conducting search and rescue, locating missing persons, photographing and mapping crime scenes, providing situational awareness during special events and aiding in the apprehension of subjects.
Spectrum donated $11,600 to the department earlier this year for the purchase a drone for outdoor use.
The new drone, which replaced a first-generation model, features a wide-angle and zoom camera, as well as infrared and thermal imaging.
During a demonstration Oct. 29, Chief Robert Botsch cited the drone’s maximum speed of 51 mph.
“In public safety, seconds matter,” Botsch said. “Drones provide officers the ability to get immediate eyes on a problem or concern and provide instant feedback to the officers.”
The department also has two indoor drones, which were purchased over the summer.
The drones are used during special events, for locating a missing person and for clearing buildings prior to officers entering.
During the demonstration, the outdoor drone was able to find an actor in a nearby field using thermal imaging despite the person blending in with the tall grass.
An officer at the police department was able to see the image from the drone and communicate with an officer and K9 about the actor’s location.
A handful of MPPD officers are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate the outdoor drone and others are being trained. The department hopes to to have a dozen officers who are FAA certified.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office and Caledonia Police Department also have the same model of outdoor drone, so the agencies can work together.
“When yours comes down, if you have a partnership with somebody else, theirs goes up and you overlap,” Botsch said. “We recently worked with Caledonia on that where I knew ours had to come down so Caledonia put theirs up about two minutes before ours came down, and we never lost coverage.”
Drones for interior use are much smaller, lighter and do not require FAA certification, so more officers will be trained to operate them.
Drones are an extension of the police, meaning officers still need consent or a search warrant to send a drone into a home, Botsch said.
“Using drones to enter uncleared, high-risk areas helps identify concealed threats in advance of police K9s and officers entering the room, minimizing risk,” Botsch said. “Bottom line: we can cover more ground from the air than we can with an officer on foot or in a car. This technology helps us to be faster, smarter and safer, which ultimately makes us better.”
Thursday, October 23, 2025
FBI multi-year drug investigation in Milwaukee and Racine leads to 22 arrests, drugs confiscated
Kelli Arseneau
The FBI announced Oct. 22 that a multi-year investigation has led to the arrest of 22 people it says are connected to an international drug cartel operating in Milwaukee and Racine.
According to a news release from the FBI's Milwaukee office, an investigation named "Operation Chalkline" resulted in the seizure of more than 260 grams of fentanyl, 4 kilograms of cocaine, 1.5 pounds of methamphetamines, 6 pounds of marijuana, 23 firearms and three vehicles.
The investigation was led by a Mount Pleasant Police Department officer as part of the FBI Milwaukee Area Safe Streets Task Force. The task force includes officers from the Mount Pleasant, Caledonia and Racine police departments, and the Racine County Sheriff's Office, according to the news release.
Other local, state and federal law enforcement assisted in the operation, which included 14 SWAT teams, according to the FBI.
The 22 suspects were arrested on federal charges, according to the FBI. The FBI did not specify when the arrests were made, or the names and specific charges.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
Monday, September 29, 2025
Monday, September 22, 2025
Franksville man sentenced in sexual assault of a child case
Milana Doné
RACINE — A Franksville man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday in connection to the sexual assault of a teenage girl.
Joshua Fleeman, 33, also was ordered to serve 10 years of extended supervision.
He was charged with one count of repeated sexual assault of the same child (at least three violations of first or second degree sexual assault) and one count of second degree sexual assault of a child.
Fleeman pleaded guilty to the first count Aug. 5, and the second count was dismissed but read into the court record.
On July 4, officers with the Mount Pleasant Police Department were sent to a Franksville residence and spoke with a woman who alleged that she found the girl and Fleeman in bed together.
According to a criminal complaint, Fleeman reportedly told police he was not cuddling with the girl but had gone to her room to say goodnight.
On July 10, the girl reportedly told child advocacy interviewers the sexual assaults began when she was 11.
She alleged Fleeman would buy her things, take her places and supply her with THC cartridges, according to the complaint.
Saturday, September 20, 2025
41-year-old man man pleads not guilty to enticing teenage girl
Milana Doné
RACINE — A Union Grove man pleaded not guilty Wednesday in connection to allegations of messaging a young girl online.
Steven Lachance, 41, faces one count of child enticement-sexual contact, one count of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime and three counts of causing a child age 13-18 to view sexual activity.
According to a criminal complaint, the Mount Pleasant Police Department began investigating after receiving a report April 14 from BOOPAC’s Promise, a nonprofit dedicated to exposing child predators.
The report indicated that someone from the organization had posed as “Ashley,” a 14-year-old girl, and engaged in online messages with “Daniel,” who was identified as Lachance.
On April 14, MPPD took over the investigation, and an officer continued posing as “Ashley.”
According to the complaint, the chats reportedly made clear to Lachance that “Ashley” was 14. He allegedly said he was 41, asked if she was “open to dating an older guy,” and said he “would love to date her,” according to the complaint.
The officer posing as the child and Lachance arranged to meet at a fast-food restaurant in Mount Pleasant. On April 17, Lachance’s van arrived at the restaurant and he was arrested.
Lachance reportedly told MPPD that he had spoken to teen girls online for about a month and had exchanged photos.
During a competency hearing Aug. 19, Lachance was found competent to proceed.
He is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 27 for a status conference.
Friday, August 8, 2025
33-year-old pleads guilty to sexual assault of child
Milana Doné
RACINE — A Franksville man pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child Tuesday.
Joshua Fleeman, 33, was charged with one count of repeated sexual assault of the same child (at least three violations of first or second degree sexual assualt) and one count of second degree sexual assault of a child.
Fleeman pled guilty to the first count, and the second count was dismissed but read into the court record.
On July 4, officers with the Mount Pleasant Police Department were sent to a Franksville residence and spoke with a woman who alleged that she found the girl and Fleeman in bed together.
According to a criminal complaint, Fleeman reportedly told police he was not cuddling with the girl but had gone to her room to say goodnight.
On July 10, the girl reportedly told child advocacy interviewers the sexual assaults began when she was 11. She alleged Fleeman would buy her things, take her places and supply her with THC cartridges, according to the complaint.
Fleeman’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12.
Monday, July 7, 2025
Park High School to host screening of Ty'Rese West documentary
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — “CYCLE,” the documentary about the 2019 police killing of Ty’Rese West in Mount Pleasant, will be screened at Park High School on Saturday, July 19.
The film, produced by Racine natives William Howell and Laura Dyan Kezman, premiered in May at the Milwaukee Film Festival. It also won Best Feature Documentary at the Brooklyn Film Festival, according to a news release.
Howell and Kezman created the movie over five years, in close collaboration with West’s mother, Monique West.
Ty’Rese West, who was 18 when he was killed by a Mount Pleasant Police Department officer in 2019, attended Park before transferring to Horlick High School.
Kezman said in a statement that “CYCLE” isn’t just a movie, but also “a call to action for my hometown and America.”
“We want audiences to understand how our justice system operates, to see the gap between what’s promised and what’s delivered,” she said. “Our goal is to save lives by telling the truth.”
Howell said that while “rage” about West’s death was “necessary and warranted initially,” love is ultimately an “ingredient for sustaining change.”
Years into the film’s creation, he and Kezman reframed the conversation to be about love and broader understanding.
“The way to break cycles is to break cycles within ourselves,” he said. “We just need to understand each other on a fundamental level. That is the thing that can foster better policy and better structures within our systems.”
Yusuf Buckley, who runs Community Consulting Services in Racine, Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, In the Dance Cafe and AC Autobody & Repair provided support for the Racine screening, which is scheduled for 1-3:30 p.m. at the John Burns Theater at the school, 1901 12th St. Doors will open at 12:15 p.m.
After the film, Kezman, Howell and local community members will host a special panel discussion.
Tickets are $18.17 (fees already included). To purchase tickets, visit app.promotix.com/events/details/Cycle-Documentary-tickets.
 |
| West |
Posts
