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VOL 14, NO. 48
Elroy: Page 5 Mauston: Page 4 New Lisbon: Page 6
County: Page 9 Wonewoc: Page 8 Hillsboro: Page 7
Classifieds: Page 12 Legals: Pages 13–17
THE AWARD WINNING OFFICIAL LEGAL NEWSPAPER OF JUNEAU COUNTY THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2013
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Family gives up all comforts to volunteer for others BY EVA MARIE WOYWOD
Dustin Belk
One charged for school burglaries On Thursday, June 20th, Juneau County Assistant District Attorney Jake Westman, filed charges against 20 year old Dustin Belk relating to the June 2011 burglaries at the Mauston School District. On Monday, June 24th, Chief Mark Messer issued a press release where he stated: "After a lengthy investigation, 20year old Dustin Belk has been charged with three counts of felony burglary, two counts of felony criminal damage to property, and one-count of misdemeanor theft of movable property for the burglaries and damage to three Mauston schools that occurred in June 2011. The loss to the school district due to damage and theft was approximately $10,000 plus. Belk is scheduled for an initial court appearance on July 24th, 2013.” According to the criminal complaint, the burglaries took place on June 13 and June 17 in 2011 and that on March 27, 2013, the Wisconsin Crime Lab issued a memo indicating that a DNA swab retrieved at Olson Middle School while officers were investigating the crime in 2011, had a positive match within the data bank. That hit targeted Belk. On April 5, 2013 Mauston police officer John Nault interviewed Belk who, according to the complaint, waived his rights and agreed to talk. Belk is said to have told Nault that at the time the crimes occurred he was "wasted" but admitted to the three burglaries. The criminal complaint goes on to state that Belk stated an argument with a girlfriend had "set him off" prior to the burglaries, but he couldn't remember which girlfriend it was as he has "many girlfriends." Belk allegedly claimed that he was not alone in burglarizing the schools, however he later retracted that statement saying he did act on his own. The criminal complaint points to evidence from the scenes suggesting that more than one party took part in the crimes.
It was that feeling of being stuck in a 9 to 5 existence, the boredom of routine and wanting more out of life for his children, Tyler age 11 and Alexas age 17. It was that almost fleeting thought just six months ago which prompted Chad Slusher of Greenfield, IN. to start dreaming about an adventure. An adventure that would mean selling many of his and his wife Cheryl's possessions to help fund a trip, in a camper, across the country. That trip, however, wouldn't be just your average trip, along the way the family would find people or organizations in need and volunteer their time. Within Chad that daydream soon took hold and before he realized it, it turned into a goal he would reach for - one that he hoped would take him across the midwest and ending in the State of Washington. It was just a couple of weeks ago Chad and his family boarded that camper he dreamed about, and headed out on their adventure, an adventure that would soon land them in Juneau County helping local organizations by volunteering for them. Traveling with them is Jason Switzer, Cheryl's cousin, and Chad's brother, Richard Herman. Jason and Richard are following the camper with a pop-up in tow so that they can help document the trip for all the world to see on various social media sites. "I'm not sure why we got off at the Mauston exit, it just seemed like the place to stop at the time," said Chad. Last Tuesday, exiting 90/94 in Mauston the family soon spotted the St. Vincent DePaul's Thrift Store where they met the store manager Jamie Markovic who would inform the Slusher family just how needed their help would be in a community with a high poverty rate, like Mauston and it's surrounding areas. It did not take long before the Slusher family rolled up their sleeves and helped the workers at the thrift store with organizing and sorting the piles of donations. Jamie assisted the family in reaching out to other organizations while they were in Mauston. Calls were made to the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store and Circle of Hope to see who could use the extra help. The stop the family made last Tuesday in Mauston soon turned into a longer stay. The following day members of the family spent time at the ReStore assisting wherever they could and then on Thursday they made their way to the Circle of Hope Center near Festival Foods where the family helped with organizing and cleaning the center as well as providing assistance at a rummage sale the group was having to help fund both the Grateful Hearts program as well as provide crisis funds for Lend a Hand so that homeless, and those in threat of being homeless, could be helped. While at the various organizations the family stated they met a lot of wonderful people, those working and volunteering as well as those in need. One of the greatest lessons Chad and Cheryl stated they were learning was just how hard it is to survive on so little. A once typical middle class family, they were now relying on the help of others to make their trip a success. "We invested almost everything, we had to get the camper and help fund getting the trip off the ground," said Chad. Chad went on to say that he even walked away from a lucrative position as a salesman for a construction company. Cheryl had just recently retired from being a school bus driver.
The Slusher family invites everyone they meet to sign their camper along the way. "You learn quickly how the simplest things can mean so much when you're in need of gas, or food," said Cheryl. Due to vehicle problems within days of leaving Greenfield, IN., the family soon found themselves in need of assistance sooner than they expected. "We've had blowouts and our generator broke down on us," said Chad. Chad went on to state that their first stop was because the camper suffered a blowout. Then, after getting that tire fixed, the following day another tire would go flat. "It's been one thing after another," the couple said. But the string of what some would call bad luck soon turned into twisted luck as each and every time they suffered a set back, somewhere along the way there was someone offering to help them. "At first I thought I could plan this trip out, but now I realize we shouldn't plan and just let it happen - let it take us where it needs to," stated Chad. As for the children, Tyler and Alexas, they both report having a wonderful time and that they are seeing and learning more than they ever realized they would. Additionally, along the way they are making new friends they plan on staying in contact with. The family has named their adventure Social Networking Across America, and if you pass their camper you can't miss them as logos for social media sites and their account names are plastered on the van so that others may follow their adventure. "We want to promote the spirit of volunteerism," said Chad. "Who knows, maybe others will decide to do the same and this could be the start of something, a movement," he went on to say. If you would like to follow the family's ‘pay it forward’ adventure you can do so by visiting their website at www.socialnetworkingacrossamerica.com. On the website are links to the various social media sites the family are connected to, including Facebook and Twitter. The family left Mauston from Circle of Hope on Sunday, they were on their way to Bloomington, MN. On Monday, and according to their Facebook status, their camper suffered a third blowout but their spirits remain high as they move forward.