Welcome back everybody to Midday magazine for this Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
Have your host James J here and we're joining out for the entire hour with Wood County
Sheriff's Department.
Sheriff Sean Becker with us along with our friends for Wisconsin Rabbits Community
and Media.
Sean, we have a couple of other things we want to make sure to touch on before we wrap
up today.
Yeah.
As I mentioned before, if coach football for a few years now I think in high school and
had tough season unfortunately I feel you know bad for the kids but I'll tell you what
the last game this season was back the badge game and that's what something that coach
20 bull has been you know very passionate about supporting local law enforcement and obviously
not just that not because I'm part of the staff but you know just um you know wanting
to honor Wisconsin Rabbits Police Department and Wood County Sheriff's Department really
draw attention to you know hey we're we're here standing up and supporting law enforcement.
So last game this season was against Old Claire North and it was a close game and it started
off with we got to fly over from life link and that was pretty cool and we got the idea
from Marshal Police Department.
They did that for the game up in in Marshield against Rabbits and it was pretty cool you
know that that's called a game started had a fairly good crowd and the kids we had different
uniforms at all were back to badge team and like I said coach Bill has been doing this
for for quite some time and it's you know it's it's really cool for me to see you know
not just myself but so many other law enforcement officers from our agencies there that I'm
good honored during the game and it was it was really it was a neat experience it always
has been every year and and what's going to happen now with Mars field in their senior
high that's going to be the back to badge game whenever they play whatever part of the
county it's on that's what the theme is going to be that's awesome while I was traveling
trophy put together and it won't be like the jog but it'll be something pretty cool but
this game and last one in particular you know we had a young quarterback come in calling
Big Rich and sophomore and the last drive of the game did did awesome and six seconds
left he threw a 26 yard touchdown and that that was a deciding factor in the game so just
a memory that you know I'm not going to ever forget and it was close and and the kids
really deserved the win that game not because of the theme just because how the season was
going you know and I always watch the the seniors you know and see how they're you know
feeling throughout the season I know this was really hard for them and you know and listening
to them talk to the team and address them before the game was was quite humbling you know
and it's like boy I wish we could have done more as a coach but you know it is what it
is and it builds character with with these young adults and so I'll be interesting to see
how they move forward with their lives that's probably the biggest takeaway that I I get
is you know connecting with kids when they're young adults and seeing what their life is
taking them you know and I've had a one on a show here before he you know works for rap
as fire department and that was really cool to see Mr. Tim come out here and I'm seeing
him mean part of the fire department Mary now and kids it's like by a mold yeah you know
it just happened so it happens overnight too it does yeah no we talked about this on
playmakers a little bit when that when it happened and you know certainly I make no bones
about it I'm a Lincoln alum I was rooting for the team all season every week you feel for
the kids I you know I echo everything you were saying about the seniors and some of that but if
you're going to only win one game in the season that's the one to win like that was a great game
and a great way to go into the off season a great way for the seniors to another thing we talked
about on playmakers listen 2% of these kids go on to actually play professional sports it's such
a small number but one thing we do know is that the confidence they build the people skills that
they know the leadership skills that they learn that they can take with them into anything they do
in life and and a lot of that comes from the the coaching out there and so to you to the coaching staff
not just of our local teams but all the teams out there big thank you to everybody that puts in the
time out of their everyday lives to be able to do this stuff and coach these kids not just about
what the X's and O's but about what it is to be a good human being yeah no on that and that's
where you know I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't for you know coach Bielo you know coach man
Koso and many other coaches that I've worked with throughout the years I mean you look at the
foundation that they have you know and you want to emulate that as well as a coach and I just
love doing something different in the community and you know it's fun you know I'm trying to at
least pass something on to to help them better themselves not just as a player but as a person
and those are like I said the humbling experiences that they come up you know you don't know how
many years later it might happen but you know it has and it's pretty cool yeah it's great and
good to hear and again the big thank you to everybody on the great football season out of Lincoln
and all of our local teams appreciate all the work from everybody out there and that they put into
this really do appreciate it yeah we also have a couple more days left for coats for kids one
of them mentioned that as well yeah if somebody has something that they can donate as far as a coat
you can bring it down to the courthouse we've got a bin there that we filled up a few times that was
one of chief deputy quit analysis ideas to hey you know where are some things that we can do out in
the community and we've been running with that for for quite some time so awesome job cue
building we're also collecting we started the toys for Todd's campaign so we've got a collection
point also at the courthouse so if you want to bring in a quarter two and a couple toys please do
that we'll make sure they get to the right spots and you can just drop the most of those off at the
courthouse yeah right security entrance they can just bring them right up there and leave them there
you don't have to come in and go get screened you can just leave it right right by the security
stuff and we'll take care of it from there fantastic and greatly appreciate you guys doing that
and so many of our businesses and local nonprofits doing those kind of things you know one of the
things that you you don't have to drive too much around town to see that there's some you know
it's still orange cone season there's still some construction going on and with the the most
recent round it's got me taking a different route one of the positives for this for me as a kid
that loves architecture and everything is I get to go past the jail every day yeah and I'm seeing
the work being done on that and I haven't gotten to well I've seen the work and the progress being
done I don't go past there every day like I have the last week or so and boy does that thing not only
look great but it looks like things are really really starting to come together certainly you know
getting ready to put this thing on the market we're getting out now but it's looking like it's
very close to being done yeah definitely it's on schedule things are going really well with that
I think there's some misunderstanding on local you know story that was done on that there's some delays
there's no delays you know our project managers been continuing to do an awesome job the sandals
group out of Wassa and then you know the other people that have you know stayed on top of the project
Ruben Bantassel Ted Ashback but things are going really well our plan is to have an open house
on December 17th after our county board means so it should that should wrap up around
10 30 somewhere around there but that'll be an open house where we'll have a few people talk
you know in the new county board room and then we'll have some guided tours we'll have staff
there to really give the public the opportunity to you know walk through the facility as you know
at that point everything will be done then we'll start the training phase of with all of our staff
to get ready to you know operate that that facility like I've said before it's completely different
from our current facility so that'll be the challenge yeah but I really trust Ted and
Susanna Wagner and the rest of our command staff in our jail to move forward with that transition
and hopefully we'll have occupancy sometime you know early next year you know I'd love to say
it'll be February 1st but you know I can't say that specifically yet until you know the
the staff is trained and part of that process too is as you're training the staff you're making
sure everything's working you know I mean that even though it's brand new you know there could be
something that hey it needs to be fixed or or it doesn't work we need to replace it that kind of
thing and you know you know learn a lot through this process and one thing that one of the many
things I learned is you know that's where you know the San Mills group will keep staff here even
after you know the project is operational just to address that he concerns that that might come up
again they've been just a phenomenal partner on site working with them and they've been just
outstanding we're lucky that they signed on for the project when we first moved into this new
building and everything from our old establishment when we got to share a lot of the behind the scenes
with the audience and everything but I don't think one of the things we got to let people know is
we the first time we found out these boards work was when we went on the air live we kind of
see only we don't really know with certain things hey if it's working or not we we can test stuff
out off air but you really don't know until you're in real time and in the moment doing it I'm curious
you you mentioned training so will they have an opportunity to really understand the facility
really get their their fingerprints into the facility you know pun intended but you know get
get in there and really understand and feel comfortable with it before you're kind of if you
will open up shop yeah we've pushing the staff to take an opportunity they can to tour it to look
at it because you know what you're seeing now you know where you know the booking counter is you
know where you know master control is you know where the you know observation points are you know
where you can get an idea of what you're going to be doing when you're going to be working you know
there so I mean that'll be the challenge you know because everything's different but we'll work
with other counties that have a similar pod design newer facilities one being Trumple County
um Sam's group was a big and involvement where they oversaw that project as well you know much
smaller jail but in the same concept so we'll be working with other sheriff's departments to
provide our staff the opportunity to okay now here's you're working in you know a jail that
has the same design oh apaca um pod design older jail but it's a pod design and you know we've
been housing people there for quite some time yeah um and I think that'll be another good
opportunity they've been a great partner throughout the um this whole project our our contract was
up with them at the beginning of this year and uh they didn't come after us college you know
us for you know rent um they're very fair and uh we appreciate that because I think that could
have been an opportunity to make money on on wood county but you know what we've had that
partnership for a long time and I really appreciate sheriff wolves to say hey um here's the cost
it's not much more of an increase it's a similar to what other counties are paying and didn't go
after to go just which um is much appreciated the taxpayers here in will county appreciate that
and you on a number of levels certainly uh with your wallet or your bank account and you're
gonna see more of that as the years go on here with the new jail but I think one of the things
we might uh we will we do appreciate it just as much and maybe it doesn't get uh talked about
or anything is that you know something you and I have talked about it was just a long time ago
is how important those communication skill those communication those relationships are
with different departments and everything um criminals don't tend to stay in one air zip code
it's so important to be able to share information and having an open line of communication like that
that's just as vital as you know having these working relationships as well yeah no it's uh that's
a great point to bring up um you know those working relationships especially in a law enforcement
side of things are huge because you'd never know when you might have a situation that might be
like very active or something down the road that hey I need help um and and for for me and I feel
that the perspective is really the same for you know please chiefs around and other sheriffs you
know around that hey you need help call you're gonna get it and um that's been um something that I
take pride in you know because if you don't have that relationship who really suffers you know
not just the staff but the community does yeah you know if somebody wants to put themselves on
island for whether it's ego or or whatever it might be you know the people that that get hurt are
the are your community you know your community's gonna get hurt and your staff could and that's
just not the right attitude to have um put the ego aside put the feelings aside when you need help
um you ask for it I'm advice first uh I'm speaking with Sharon Sean Becker right now at the here
there midday magazine and Sean and though we had some other things we wanted to get to before
wrap up the uh show here um yeah the other thing um just uh you know as we talked about the
the teamwork aspect of law enforcement um we did have a significant drug arrest that um really
highlights that Leonard Greenwich was recently arrested last week on an investigation that
had been going on for a couple years so you have something like that um you know it's not just
exclusive tone agency and you set it because crime just doesn't happen here especially when somebody's
a drug dealer they they're gonna be going out to wherever they can they can move their uh their
product if you want to call it that because they they act like business people and uh what was
being pushed was that no you know cocaine and marijuana and meth and um you know with this joint
investigation um you know this uh individual was uh finally placed in custody and with uh you
know the teamwork of you know Scott Goldberg you know it's just doing a phenomenal job at the
department overseas all of our investigators but then again that that working relationship with
other agencies the drug task force DCI and you have a situation that that goes on like this and
you see it you know confusion um it's it's a lot of work that has been going on for quite some
time so um we've got a dangerous individual has been taken off our street and now it's on based
on the teamwork that um you know our department along with many others at a part of another part of
the the job that we don't get to refer to talk about very often is so many of these um these
cases that take time to develop that take time to put into and there's no guarantee that you're going
to make an arrest so that time that you're spending on it it's tough to it I imagine as an officer
and especially somebody who took this job because they want to help now they they wanted they you
know they want to do something right now and make an impact and do good um and oftentimes the only
way to do that is with patience and letting something uh play out and everything and that it is a
note where the uh case did not only bring in but uh certainly like just even the again the backstory
of that that it took years to be able to get that down we don't I don't think we think about those
things very often as citizens we see the results on the news or something in the newspaper but
it the work that gets put into these things is is just as important as the case bring you know
being brought to uh fruition here and now yeah absolutely and then I'm going to bring up is um
channel seven does a podcast um uh it's called never forget uh Cassandra sabata's uh doing it she
did one on another investigation the dealer week case on some time goal and now um she is just
completing one on dealer harms and investigation really appreciate her taking the time you know
coming in to to interview us you know just be you know quite far with where the investigation is at
who we feel or who we know did this Chris re-back and um you know getting the information out to
the community you know and that's going to um air this um this month on time uh the anniversary
date for that tragedy is coming up uh towards the end of this month during hunting season when we
found her remains and uh and we on west side of uh Wisconsin Rapids but no really appreciate
Cassandra again coming in um like I said I I've worked this case for no most of my career you
with the position that I have now I still work it because I was an investigator when I um you know
was assigned the case and um appreciate you know the media looking at this and I'm hoping that
this will get some information from the community because I think there's a couple people out
there that no more information that weren't very truthful to us or they're holding back um and
that's just my my gut feeling and based on behavior that I've seen these these uh you know people
kind of displayed throughout the years and I'm hoping that um with this podcast getting out there
that'll provide some more information that um will help but you know it's not going to change the
big scope of things uh Chris re-back did this um and you know um unfortunately you know he's not
with us anymore to this you know you know get served you can serve justice for it um because he
took his own life in a different uh jail in Missouri but um I still think that the family could deserve
that you know I don't know if anybody's like the word closure but I don't have a better word
for it or moving forward that now I could definitely say that that Chris did it even though I've
been very forward with them that he did but I appreciate channel seven and uh Cassandra you know
coming down and taking the time because it's a big investigation you know I could say that
not just because it's a homicide investigation but um the work that was put into it
by not just myself or the Wood County Sheriff's Department but Wisconsin Rapids Police Department
DCI um you know other FBI um you name we had a lot of help with this investigation
and there's a lot of work that was done and um I'd like to see that right officially closed
and and you know I can't do that um but other people can and um but again I appreciate that
partnership um you know with the media and uh for you know tragedies like this that um they can help
yeah every life's valuable every life's important and every life uh deserves a a full story
and this was part of her story yeah I'm thankful to as well to the podcast to bring
attention to this I appreciate the times over the years that you and I have been able to focus
on cold cases or just talking about cold cases in general uh let in the audience know so much of
what uh I think you might you might think you you know but you don't until you're hearing from
an officer that is still you know getting uh this case still is like it it's fresh to them
it's it's like to happen yesterday I hear it in your voice with this case uh it it hopefully
not only creates a little more empathy in our community for what you guys do and certainly
our retired officers to continue with these cases long after they don't have to um that but also
bringing attention to cold cases in general and how I I think there should be more of a segment more
of an opportunity for us to highlight there are so many of them out there uh to be able to
highlight these and you just never know what you know you shake the tree and something might come out
uh you know um I think that it's it's wonderful to hear about that podcast just as uh just as
even more wonderful to hear kind of that story wonderful is not the right word for it but to hear
uh we have something that this story is told you know and how important that that is to have
happen uh we got about a minute left to Jeff anything else Sean um a big shout out to Craig
Tim good friend of mine um he's uh instructor at UWSP and is the third time we've got the
opportunity to do it um he instructs one of the communication classes and he just has me come
in and do a Q&A on not just law enforcement but media um so I get the opportunity to do that
yesterday I got frustrated though because here in Conan it's Steven's point on 66 and
that train was there yeah yeah yeah and so I'm texting like I'm going to be a little late the
train's not moving and you know we tried to have some jurisdiction over the um the over trains
and stuff and um it didn't work out we uh that's a federal thing so we got to talk about that
in my frustration but oh it was it was fun and being a UWSP alumni it gives me the opportunity kind
of see the changes on campus and then just kind of connect or just talk with the students there
and you know get a little bit of their background and then just kind of free-float you know
Q&A and then talking about the relationship with uh with media and how that reflects on a law
enforcement agency yeah I had to be in a really interesting conversation that's that's really
cool to hear I I'm up in point at least once a week and every other time I'm going up there that
train that's for every time I appreciate you sir thanks so much for the time Sean you know uh and
if people want to find out more encourage you to go to woodcountywi.gov you can reach our
sheriff's department that way woodcountywi.gov want to encourage you as well to go to youtube type
into your search bar with cons or habits community media go to all your uh social media outlets and
type that in there and subscribe to their work and keep up to date on the great work they are
doing we appreciate you guys over there we'll have more midday magazine for you coming up on 97-5 FM
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