BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 VOL. 56 NO. 2 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
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Fire erupts at dairy farm JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
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Four Cubs Farm barn fire
GRANTSBURG— A fire broke out at the Four Cubs Farm last Wednesday around 11 a.m. It was started by a diesel engine generator that operates a pressure washer. There were no physical injuries or fatalities to personnel or cattle. The dairy farm is owned by the Petersons at 23250 S. Williams Rd. in Grantsburg. The fire was contained to the barn with the milking parlor, which was built in 1898. There was no damage to any other structure on the farm. Seven area fire departments responded in full force. Grantsburg Fire Department was dispatched at 11:04 a.m. Other departments dispatched to the scene were Siren, Webster, Frederic, Cushing, Pine City and Rush City. “We called in so many departments because of how few volunteers are available during the day,” said, Grantsburg Fire Chief Cory Barnette. “All of these departments worked perfectly together.”
Fire from a diesel engine that powered a pressure washer ignited the Peterson farm barn. It was built in 1895 and housed the milking parlor. 900 cows were moved that day to other area farms with no injuries to personnel or livestock.
Fellow farmers help Petersons quickly move 900 cows BY STEVE BRIGGS SENTINEL
GRANTSBURG—Shortly after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1, fire destroyed the milking parlor inside the original, 1895 barn on the Four Cubs Farm southeast of Grantsburg. The blaze shut down the Peterson farm’s milking operation. That meant about 850 milk cows, accustomed to being milked 2-3 times every 24 hours, had to be moved to other dairy farms as quickly as possible, along with about 50 other cows. Thanks to word of mouth, phone calls and Facebook, the response was immediate. Before 1 p.m., the first pickup trucks from farms throughout northwest Wisconsin arrived pulling empty cattle trailers. They asked for nothing more than to be told where to deliver the cows.
SEE FARMERS, PAGE 8
SEE FIRE, PAGE 2
Siren couple charged with child neglect Parents get multiple counts after son goes missing JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
SIREN— Siren parents were charged with three misdemeanor counts of child neglect, after their four-year-old son was missing for hours last month. Elsie Nicole Bearhart, 32, and Gregory Nelson, 34, are also the parents of a 6-year-old and 13-yearold girls. Nelson is also charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of resisting or obstructing an officer, all misdemeanor charges. According to the criminal complaint, police were called when a six-year-old girl was asking people if they had seen her four-year-old brother. The six-year-old-girl and her 13-year-old sister explained to police that their four-year-old brother had been missing for over an hour. The 13-year-old girl had a working cell phone and told police her parents do not have phones. Then both girls explained their brother runs
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away a lot and the 6-year-old walked to the Head Start building to see if he was there. The children’s grandfather told police Bearhart and Nelson are both alledgedly meth addicts. He added that he and his wife had hoped they
Elsie Bearhart
Gregory Nelson
would be arrested for possession of meth so something could be done to help the children. One of the searchers found the boy. He was wearing a soiled shirt and soiled pants. He was not wearing socks or shoes. The officer escorted the three children back to their house. There the officer observed the interior of
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the trailer was dirty and there was rotten food in the kitchen. The officer noted a utility knife and liquor within reach of the children. The bedrooms had soiled mattresses and the bunk beds had no blankets or pillows. The officer noted it looked like someone was lighting matches in the bathroom sink. There was writing and scribbling on the bedroom walls. There was also feces smeared on the walls. The 13-year-old girl continued to apologize for how dirty the house was. After approximately 22 minutes inside, Nelson was heard swearing loudly on the west end of the trailer. Nelson said the boy had been with him the whole time. The officer noted Nelson’s pupils were dilated, he was sweating, was extremely agitated and appeared high on drugs. Bearhart and Nelson are due back in court for initial appearances on Nov. 29.
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