of Juneau County
The Messenger WONEWOC STUDENT HOLDS HOG RAFFLE VOL 14, NO. 41
LOOK INSIDE FOR YOUR LOCAL NEWS:
Elroy: Page 6 Mauston: Page 4 New Lisbon: Page 8
County: Page 3 Wonewoc: Page 12 Hillsboro: Page 10
Classifieds: Page 16 Legals: Pages 17–25 & 27
THE AWARD WINNING OFFICIAL LEGAL NEWSPAPER OF JUNEAU COUNTY
Case moves forward against Becerra In court last Thursday, Neil J. Becerra, 42, of Necedah was in court for an arraignment hearing on 14 felony counts of sexual assault. On Becerra's behalf Judge Patrick Taggart entered not guilty pleas on all counts and the case will move forward to a jury trial. Judge Taggart also denied a bond modification request leaving the $20,000 cash bond as it is. Judge Taggart, a Sauk County Circuit Court Judge, was assigned to the case last month after Becerra motioned the court for a change in judges. Becerra, who is represented by defense attorney Roger Klopp, has been charged with seven felony counts of second degree child sexual assault and seven felony counts of incest with a child. The alleged dates of the offenses range from July of 2012 to September of 2012. According to the original criminal complaint on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, Detective Shaun Goyette of the Juneau County Sheriff's Department stated he observed Robin Denger, a Child Protection Services Manager with Juneau County Human Services, conduct an interview with a 13 year old female. It was in that interview where the girl alleged that Becerra had sexual intercourse with her on multiple occasions from July of 2012 through to February 2013. The girl stated that the acts took place in Becerra's workshop in Necedah as well as his residence on Queens Way in the Town of Necedah. On the day the interview took place Becerra was picked up by law enforcement and held at the Juneau County Jail on a probation hold where he remains. The allegations in the criminal complaint were reiterated last month during a preliminary hearing when Detective Goyette took the stand. Overseeing that hearing was Judge Paul Curran who ruled probable cause was found, binding Becerra over to last week's arraignment. The charges Becerra is facing came just shortly after Juneau County District Attorney Michael Solovey dismissed another case against Becerra, and one that also dealt with felony child sexual assault charges. The alleged victim in that case was also a young female known to Becerra but not the same victim in the most recent case. When Solovey dropped the previous charges in January of this year he issued a press release that stated: "The recent filing and dismissal of criminal charges against Mr. Neil J. Becerra of Necedah involved acts which allegedly occurred nine years ago; which were referred to the District Attorney's office four years ago; and which were filed by the previous District Attorney on January 4, 2013 - the last day of his term. Once prosecution commenced in earnest, it became immediately apparent to law enforcement that there was not sufficient evidence to sustain a prosecution or support a verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.� Becerra is a registered sex offender as the result of a guilty/no contest plea in a 2001 second degree child sexual assault charge for an assault that took place in December of 1998 and resulted in the victim becoming pregnant.
THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013
$1.00
Beranek sentenced to prison for drug offenses
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BY EVA MARIE WOYWOD
n court last Thursday Seth Beranek, 25, of Mauston was sentenced to two years of prison and two years of extended supervision. According to court records, the sentencing was a joint recommendation of the Juneau County District Attorney's office and Beranek's attorney, Jay M Englund. Jake Westman appeared for the State of Wisconsin. Beranek, who was charged with four felony counts of Manufacture/Deliver Heroin pled guilty to two counts and the others were dismissed on a motion by prosecution. A felony count possession with the intent to sell was also dismissed. Beranek was credited with 252 days of time served. The original charges against Beranek stem from a 2012 undercover investigation of the Juneau County Sheriff's Department. It was that investigation and a subsequent warrant being executed that led to Beranek's arrest along with nine other individuals. Prior to that investigation Beranek had numerous interactions with law enforcement resulting in felony and misdemeanor charges and convictions, including a 2009 felony charge of possession of amphetamine. In that case, after a plea agreement was reached, he was sentenced to one year of jail with Huber privileges.
Paws for Lilly reaches their goal for a service dog that will assist BY EVA MARIE WOYWOD Soon Lilly's family will rest a little more assured and the young girl will have a special companion; Paws for Lilly has reached their goal of $13,000 and a service dog will be specially trained to warn all when there is a pending seizure. This past Saturday a last push fundraiser held in Necedah coupled with some recent anonymous donations was all it took to meet the monetary challenge of raising the needed funds. That challenge was issued and begun six months ago. The money raised may seem steep to some, however, it is just a portion of what the actual cost will be to train a dog for Lilly. The family is working with an organization called 4 Paws for Ability. According to the organization's founder, Karen Shirk, she explained that in all actuality the cost to train an ability dog can range from $22,000 to upwards of $46,000. "On average the dogs have 500 hours of training," said Shirk. "That training can mean the difference between life or death of a child." The organization is 15 years old and currently places approximately 100 ability dogs per year. "There are not enough words to express how grateful I am for the prayers, words of encouragement, kindness and love the community has come together and given to Lilly and our family! You are all amazing people and I appreciate each and every one of you more than you will ever know," said Lilly's mother Christina Bavinck.
Lilly will receive the specially trained dog that will be able to alert her family and her of an oncoming seizure.