Dec. 19, 2019 8:25p
(WGTD)---The jury in the case against a 26-year-old Racine man accused of shooting an off-duty Racine police officer during a robbery last June won’t be told of the officer’s blood-alcohol content at the time of the killing. John Hetland had been drinking before he jumped over the bar at Teezer’s and tackled the robber, 26-year-old Dalquavis Ward. Hetland was shot in the chest and died at the scene. The suspect fled but was picked up a few days later. In court Thursday, Judge Wynne Laufenberg ruled that Hetland’s blood-alcohol level was not relevant. The defense had argued that the B-A-C could help explain why things happened the way they did. At one point in Thursday’s proceeding, Ward blurted out that he wanted new attorneys. Laufenberg told him not to interrupt, and that was the end of it, at least by outward appearances. The trial is scheduled for early February.
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(WGTD)---At a bail reduction hearing Thursday, the 38-year-old Racine woman who claims she fatally shot her ex-boyfriend in self-defense gained a glimmer of hope that she’d be out of jail in time for Christmas. But the optimism quickly faded after a judge over-ruled a court commissioner’s decision. Shortly after Angela Scheit's arrest earlier this month on a charge of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide, bond was set at $250,000. On Thursday, Commissioner Alice Rudebusch lowered it to $50,000 with a condition of house arrest. Within minutes though, the prosecutor was before Judge Faye Flancher in another courtroom, asking that the commisioner’s decision be reversed. It was. Scheit, a mother of four, has no criminal record.
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(WGTD)---The spring trial for a teenager accused of fatally shooting a Kenosha man who was involved in human trafficking could be delayed. Her attorney says he plans to file a pre-trial appeal. Judge David Wilk ruled earlier this month that he would limit Chrystul Kizer’s protections under an untested state law that grants broad immunity from prosecution to the victims of human trafficking. Defense Attorney Carl Johnson said Thursday he plans to ask a state appellate court to intervene. Wilk said at the time of his ruling that he’d welcome such a move in order to gain a measure of clarity.
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(WGTD)---When it opened nearly 55 years ago, the pod-shaped Giese Elementary School in Racine won architecture awards. These days, Giese’s building design is considered a liability. Giese is nearly first in line to be closed under the district’s Long Range Facilities Plan, which was approved this week by the Racine School Board. The plan takes into account a variety of factors for each building, including enrollment, floor plan and overall condition. Giese’s facilities ‘report card’ gets low marks for a variety of reasons. The school lacks a dedicated space for science and STEM classes. Deficiencies were found in the art, music instruction and band rooms. Spaces used for administration, student support and nursing, according to the report, are poorly organized and are not close to the main entrance. And the list goes on. The school’s principal told WGTD News this week that she and the building staff aren’t concerning themselves over the possibility of a closure, focusing instead on the more immediate concerns of teaching and learning.
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