of Juneau County
The Messenger BENEFIT TO BE HELD FOR ELROY MAN VOL 15, NO. 33
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THE AWARD WINNING OFFICIAL LEGAL NEWSPAPER OF JUNEAU COUNTY THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2014
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Tetting faces second trail for 2007 homicides BY EVA MARIE WOYWOD In Juneau County Circuit Court, a scheduled 15 day jury trial is nearly half over. The trial began last week and 31 year old John G. Tetting is facing charges for what prosecutors are calling his role in the 2007 shooting deaths of 31 year old Joshua Alderman of La Crosse and 23 year old
Tabitha Nealy of Wisconsin Rapids. Up to March of last year Tetting was serving a 30 year prison sentence for a 2009 conviction of the 2007 deaths of Alderman and Nealy. The convictions were vacated by Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer when Tetting’s co-defendent in the crime, David Turner, presented a written state-
ment claiming Tetting did not have prior knowledge that the shootings were going to take place. Turner has further claimed that the shootings were not premeditated and happened when he, as the lone shooter, became angered by comments made during a transaction while alone in a car with Alderman and Nealy. Tetting has admitted to
John Tetting arrived in the courtroom Monday with files in hand.
David Turner, self admitted shooter and co-defendent of John Tetting in the 2007 homicides, has spent a lengthy time on the stand giving testimony.
being present in the area when the murders occurred as he drove Turner to the location to meet with Alderman. Past testimony and reports show that Tetting, Turner, and Alderman were known to each other and involved together in the distribution of illegal drugs. Lead Juneau County Sheriff's Department investigator, Detective Randy Georgeson, has been present in the court room for the current trial. After Judge Roemer vacated the conviction, a second trial against Tetting was scheduled for
November of last year, however, that trial was delayed when then special prosecutor Monroe County District Attorney Dan Cary unexpectedly died while at home in Sparta. Prosecuting the case now is State Assistant Attorney General Gary A. Fryberg. Handling Tetting's defense is attorney Cole Ruby and co-counsel Andrew Martinez. The pair have a law firm in Baraboo. Extreme caution of the handling of the case has been enacted including Judge Roemer sealing the case prior to trial, making the case file and online court records unavailable
for view by the public. Those online records were still unavailable after the trial began, however the trial is open to the public. Jurors are reminded daily by Judge Roemer not to take part in any activity or conversation regarding the case, including listening to or viewing media coverage. Since Tetting's conviction was vacated in March of 2013 he has been held in the Juneau County Jail on a $150,000 cash bond. The Messenger has been present in the court room during the jury trial and will have a full report after all testimony has been given.
Items discovered at salvage yard lead to burglary charges BY EVA MARIE WOYWOD On March 17, 2014 a Clearfield Township man advised the Juneau County Sheriff's Department that he had identified, at Manthey's Salvage in Mauston, items that had been stolen from his property just days prior. That complaint has resulted in 25 year old Emil St. Clair of rural New Lisbon being charged with multiple counts including felony burglary, felony bail jumping, theft, and criminal damage to property. He is being charged as a repeater and, in total, is facing seven felony charges and six misdemeanor charges. Items identified at the salvage yard included scrap copper wire, vehicle batteries, and a piece of stainless steel. Records kept at the salvage yard showed that St. Clair, along with another party, had brought in the items to sell. While Juneau County Detective Shaun Goyette was at the salvage yard investigating the case of stolen property, a salvage yard employee offered that St. Clair had brought in other items including, on the same day, a Ford F-150. A vehicle identification number check traced the F-150 to the owner in Camp Douglas. The detective made contact with the owner of the vehicle who informed
him that during the first week of March a male came to his residence to inquire about vehicles parked by his property. That subject was identified as St. Clair who reportedly expressed interest in purchasing the truck and was granted permission to take it on a test drive. St. Clair told the owner of the vehicle that he would need to get money from the Tomah Check into Cash before he could purchase it. The owner allowed him to take it for a couple of days to test drive and claimed he was never given money for the truck. He also alleged he never gave St. Clair permission to scrap the truck. On March 21, 2014 Detective Goyette responded to a call in Kildare Township that a pole shed had been broken into on March 15th. At the time, the owner of the property did not report any missing items, however later that week it he noticed a pile of scrap copper pipe had been missing from his yard. The victim was able to identify his property at Manthey's Salvage which had been taken in for scrap by St. Clair and another party. St. Clair is currently in custody of the Juneau County Sheriff's Department on a probation hold. On Monday, March 24th, he was placed on a cash bond of $5,000. He is scheduled for an April 9, 2014 initial appearance before Judge Paul Curran.