
Shawn Kudron, La Crosse Police Chief
When Officer Dustin Darling was shot while on duty in August, it reinforced what La Crosse Police Chief Shawn Kudron already knew: Gun crimes are becoming more serious and more common in the La Crosse community.
“This is not what should be happening in the La Crosse community, and this is not what our officers should be facing. This needs to stop,” Kudron said.
Kudron and Capt. Jason Melby have raised concerns about gun crimes in La Crosse and the department seized 49 firearms as evidence — which means they were used in a crime — in 2018, compared to 39 in 2012.
“We knew prior to that incident that gun crime was on the rise and this just put as big of an exclamation point on that fact. One of our officers who is out there serving our community and keeping our community safe has now been victimized by gun crime, been shot,” Kudron said.
On Aug. 3, Darling responded to a domestic incident on South Ninth and Cass streets. During the incident, Kruk pointed a stolen gun at Darling and both men shot the other one, according to the criminal complaint. Darling was saved by his bullet-resistant vest, treated at a local hospital and released that same day.
Kruk was charged in September with attempted homicide and remains in the La Crosse County Jail.
While Darling is back at work, the incident was hard on La Crosse police officers.
“I’ll be honest, it was absolutely shocking. Just the nature of worry about your staff, the officer, everybody involved, was something that none of us had had to deal with,” Kudron said.
A La Crosse police officer was last shot in the line of duty Nov. 2, 1989, when Officer Gary Clements was saved by his bullet-resistant vest when Timothy J. Dummer shot four rounds through a door, striking him in the chest. He required six surgeries on his wrist, which was torn apart by a shotgun blast, according to Tribune files.

Melby
“It was the first time in 30 years that we’ve had an officer actually shot in the line of duty. It’s just a hallmark of these types of incidents, not to mention the danger of the community and quite frankly the danger to the actual offender themselves,” Melby said.
Police had noticed anecdotally that guns were more prevalent out in the community during the past few years. When the department crunched the numbers, police saw that they received 13 reports of shots fired in 2018 and 16 reports of a suspicious person with a gun in 2018, compared to seven reports of each in 2012.
“People within our community are deciding to carry guns and to utilize firearms to try and solve their problems,” Kudron said. “There’s been a bit of a shift or a change over time.”
Reports of shots fired or guns are much more frequent now than when Melby was out on the streets, he said, and it’s less likely to be something like someone misinterpreting the sound of fireworks as gunshots.
In particular, Melby noted that 19 people were arrested on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm in 2018, compared to eight in 2012.
“These are the exact people in our community who should not have a gun,” Melby said.
It changes the way police do their jobs, Kudron said.
“Officers have a heightened sense of awareness on everything that we do. When it’s a gun call, that’s obviously multiplied,” he said. “It simply makes it more difficult because you know what can happen with a firearm.”
Not only does it make incidents such as robberies and domestic violence more dangerous, Kudron also said the department is on the lookout for active shooter incidents.
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“We know that we’re not immune to having some sort of incident happen like what’s happened in other cities or schools or towns,” Kudron said.

Gruenke
Gun crimes are taken seriously at every level, said La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke.
“People who demonstrate their willingness to use a gun – especially if they have a gun they’re not supposed to have – that’s an extra element of criminality compared to people who maybe just have a bad day and get in a fight,” Gruenke said.
Even if the gun isn’t used, it adds an element of danger and terror for victims, he said.
“Victims are more damaged, victims are more afraid, the community is more afraid,” Gruenke said.
That element of danger is taken into account when prosecutors determine what bonds and sentences to ask a judge for. Rather than a signature bond, Gruenke’s office will ask for a high cash bond to ensure the safety of the community.
Gun crimes are difficult to investigate, because people are often disinclined to answer police questions, Melby said. The firearms themselves are also difficult to trace. Many are stolen, purchased through straw buyers or traded for drugs.
“Most of the time if we find a gun, we might be able to say it’s stolen, but that’s as far as we’ll get,” Gruenke said.
While Gruenke said most local gun stores are responsible, he encouraged gun owners to keep their firearms secured to stop burglars from taking them.
Melby said it will take the whole community to help address gun crime. People need to come forward to share what they know with police, and the criminal-justice system needs to get together and talk about how to effectively investigate and prosecute these types of crimes.
“Having people show up in the hospital with holes in them and not wanting to talk to police is not a good thing for our community,” Melby said. “As a criminal-justice system, we need to make sure we’re addressing these types of scenarios as effectively as possible and holding people accountable.”
The La Crosse Police Department is doing that by bolstering its relationship with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Western Wisconsin District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as the La Crosse County District Attorney’s Office. They are able to learn from the other agencies to evolve their investigative efforts and build a case more effectively.
“The overriding goal is to get dangerous people out of our community that are carrying guns,” Melby said.
Sometimes that means having them federally prosecuted, rather than charged in La Crosse County Circuit Court.
“For people who are very dangerous, that has a little bit more of a deterrent effect and a little bit more control of the person,” Gruenke said.
It helps Gruenke as well, who can then allocate his resources to other local crimes.
“Any time they’re willing to help us, to take some of our cases, I’m fine with it,” Gruenke said.
Kudron and Melby hope to have a communitywide conversation to empower the community to put a stop to gun crimes.
“We need the community’s help to solve these crimes,” Melby said.
Alexander Mitchell

Alexander J. Mitchell, 26, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 27 with operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, misdemeanor retail theft, obstructing an officer and misdemeanor bail jumping, all as a repeat offender. Mitchell took a woman’s truck Nov. 20 from the Valley View Mall parking lot and drove it to the other side of town and abandoned it after stealing items from TJ Maxx, according to the complaint.
Bret Richert

Bret M. Richert, 34, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 26 with possession of methamphetamine and felony bail jumping, both as a repeat offender. Richert had 0.4 grams of meth under the hood of his car Nov. 25 when he was found asleep in the front passenger seat, according to the complaint.
Michelle Winn

Michelle L. Winn, 35, Onalaska, was charged Nov. 26 with possession of narcotic drugs and hit-and-run. Winn struck another vehicle while driving at about 8:15 a.m. Nov. 25 and drove away, according to the complaint. Winn also had heroin in her purse when she was found shortly afterward.
Richard Sweeney II
Richard L. Sweeney II, 54, Onalaska, was charged Nov. 26 with felony bail jumping. Sweeney violated terms of a previous bond by consuming alcohol Nov. 15, according to the complaint.
Brandon Hoffman

Brandon T. Hoffman, 32, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 25 with obstructing an officer causing soft tissue injury, misdemeanor bail jumping, second-offense operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, second-offense operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration and operating a motor vehicle while revoked. Hoffman violated terms of a previous bond prohibiting him from drinking alcohol Nov. 25 when he drank and drove on Rose Street, according to the complaint. Hoffman attempted to flee, which lead to an officer scraping the knuckles of his hand and his knee and smashing a finger nail.
Joshua Tischer

Joshua P. Tischer, 22, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 25 with felony bail jumping and disorderly conduct, both as a repeat offender. Tischer caused a commotion outside an apartment, kicking and screaming at a window, according to the complaint.
Marci Johnson

Marci L. Johnson, 32, Trempealeau, was charged Nov. 25 with fourth-offense operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, felony bail jumping, fourth-offense operating a motor vehicle with a prohibited blood alcohol concentration and possession of drug paraphernalia. Johnson was found asleep in her vehicle, which was running at about 11:40 p.m. Nov. 22, and failed several field sobriety tests, according to the complaint. Johnson had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14%, according to a preliminary breath test, and a pipe with marijuana residue was found in her purse.
Dominique D. Gordon

Dominique D. Gordon, 21, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 25 with felony bail jumping, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor intimidation of a victim. Gordon violated terms of a previous bond by squeezing a woman’s face and threatening her, according to the complaint.
Lazaro Lemagnes

Lazaro J. Lemagnes, 35, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 22 with possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, as a repeat offender. Lemagnes had 27.3 grams of meth Nov. 21 during a traffic stop, according to the complaint.
Bruce Collins

Bruce A. Collins, 60, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 22 with possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession of THC and possession of drug paraphernalia. Collins had three bags of heroin, eight bags of heroin and a bag of marijuana, as well as three pipes, when he was pulled over Nov. 22 for a loud muffler, according to the complaint.
Alexis Powell

Alexis M. Powell, 20, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 21 with felony bail jumping, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass to dwelling. Powell entered a woman’s home without her permission, violating terms of a previous bond, according to the complaint.
Cydney Jelen
Cydney R. Jelen, 26, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 21 with uttering a forgery, theft of movable property and fraudulent use of a credit card. Jelen took $500 from a woman in the spring, used a man’s debit card to spend $2,000 on Amazon over the summer and forged two checks in September, according to the complaint.
Tyler Peterson

Tyler J. Peterson, 28, Readstown, was charged Nov. 20 with felony retail theft, misdemeanor retail theft and three counts of bail jumping. Peterson stole a TV Nov. 15 from Walmart in La Crosse and jeans from Kohl's in Onalaska, violating terms of a previous bond forbidding him from committing new crimes, according to the complaint.
Rory Deer Jr

Rory L. Deer Jr., 39, De Soto, was charged Nov. 20 with possession of methamphetamine, bail jumping and obstructing an officer. Deer had meth in his pocket and lied about his name when he was arrested Nov. 19 on a warrant, according to the complaint.
Kanong Vang

Kanong A Vang, 31, Holmen, was charged Nov. 19 with burglary, theft and criminal damage to property as a party to a crime, as well as criminal trespassing and misdemeanor bail jumping. Vang entered a Holmen home Oct. 12 while the owner was at work and took $650 cash, a saw, a diamond necklace and garage door opener, according to the complaint.
Jamie Kirby
Jamie L. Kirby, 28, West Salem, was charged Nov. 19 with felony bail jumping, possession of narcotic drugs and possession of cocaine. Kirby had heroin and cocaine Nov. 1 when she was the passenger in a car pulled over for an illegal tint, according to the complaint.
Jeremy Breidel

Jeremy J. Breidel, 33, no permanent address, was charged Nov. 18 with felony bail jumping and obstructing an officer. Breidel failed to stop his bike for a police officer who attempted to pull him over for failing to yield at several intersections, violating terms of his previous bond forbidding new crimes, according to the complaint.
Peng Lor

Peng Lor, 22, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 18 with delivery of methamphetamine, felony bail jumping and misdemeanor bail jumping. Lor sold 1.6 grams of meth to a confidential informant July 11, violating terms of his previous bond, according to the complaint.
Shakur Clayton

Shakur A. Clayton, 25, no permanent address, was charged Nov. 18 with felony bail jumping and criminal trespassing. Clayton was found sleeping in the basement of a vacant rental property Nov. 15 without the owner’s permission, according to the complaint.
William Kraus

William J. Kraus, 35, no permanent address, was charged Nov. 15 with felony bail jumping and disorderly conduct. Kraus violated terms of a previous bond by causing a disturbance at the George Street McDonald’s by walking around with no shirt, according to the complaint.
John Irvin

John A. Irvin, 55, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 15 with possession of methamphetamine. Irvin had 1.3 grams of meth in his pocket when he was stopped at about 3:30 a.m. for bicycling without a light, according to the complaint.
Luis A. Jimenez
Luis A. Jimenez, 32, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 15 with felony bail jumping. Jimenez violated terms of a previous bond Nov. 8 by consuming alcohol, according to the complaint.
Neal Jensen Jr

Neal R. Jensen, 55, Arcadia, was charged Nov. 15 with felony bail jumping as a repeat offender after he was accused of violating a no-contact order Nov. 14, according to the complaint.
Patrick G. Berger
Patrick G. Berger, 29, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 15 with fourth-offense operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, fourth-offense operating with a restricted controlled substance in blood, felony bail jumping, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and retail theft. Berger was pulled over Nov. 12 in downtown La Crosse for driving erratically and failed several field sobriety tests, according to the complaint. A search of his vehicle revealed heroin and a glass pipe. Berger also stole a car battery Oct. 29 from Walmart, according to the complaint.
Caleb Crocker

Caleb M. Crocker, 22, Holmen, was charged Nov. 14 with strangulation and suffocation, and battery. Crocker pushed a woman and wrapped his hand around her throat, causing her vision to go black, Oct. 27, according to the complaint.
Katie McCune
Katie R. McCune, 41, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 14 with possession of methamphetamine as a repeat offender. McCune had methamphetamine in her purse Nov. 5 when she was arrested and cited for retail theft, according to the complaint.
Nicholas Balint

Nicholas A. Balint, 27, Kellogg, Minn., was charged Nov. 14 with battery to a law enforcement officer, possession of methamphetamine, resisting an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct. Balint lied about his name and punched a La Crosse police officer Wednesday after being approached due to acting strangely, according to the complaint. Balint had methamphetamine and a glass pipe with white residue in his pocket when taken into custody.
Dale Peterson Jr.
Dale B. Peterson Jr., 69, Bangor, was charged Nov. 14 with fourth-offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Peterson was pulled over Nov. 7 for deviating in his lane and admitted to drinking, according to the complaint.
Lavon Liggins

Lavon D. Liggins, 38, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 13 with second-offense delivery of heroin, felony bail jumping and operating a motor vehicle while revoked. Liggins sold 2.1 grams of heroin to a confidential informant May 31 and was pulled over driving after his license was revoked Nov. 11, which was also a violation of a previous bond, according to the complaint.
Samantha Sordahl

Samantha K. Sordahl, 26, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 13 with felony bail jumping, possession of an illegally obtained prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sordahl violated terms of a previous bond forbidding her to commit new crimes when she had Suboxone without a prescription and used hypodermic needles with what appeared to be methamphetamine residue, according to the complaint.
Tyler Peterson

Tyler J. Peterson, 28, Readstown, Wis., was charged Nov. 12 with felony bail jumping and retail theft. Peterson violated terms of a previous bond Oct. 14 when he took a car stereo from the La Crosse Walmart, according to the complaint.
Tavier Holling

Tavier M. Holling, 27, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 12 with felony bail jumping, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor theft. Holling violated terms of a previous bond Nov. 12 when he took a woman’s cellphone and called her a name, according to the complaint.
Robert Stach

Robert F. Stach, 47, no permanent address, was charged Nov. 11 with possession of methamphetamine and felony bail jumping. Stach was arrested Nov. 11 after he was found on the floor with a substance he identified as meth, according to the complaint.
Eric Mathison

Eric L. Mathison, 42, Tomah, was charged Nov. 11 with battery to a law enforcement officer, felony bail jumping and disorderly conduct. Mathison was arrested Nov. 10 after police arrived at a La Crosse home to find him attempting to kick in the door and threatening the people inside, according to the complaint. He was taken to a local hospital for a health evaluation, where he kicked a wheelchair at an officer.
Laura M. Raymond

Laura M. Raymond, 41, of Woodstock, Ill., was charged Nov. 8 with being a fugitive. Raymond, who is charged with a felony in Illinois, was arrested in La Crosse County, according to the criminal complaint.
Trevor Mitchell

Trevor J. Mitchell, 33, New Albin, Iowa, was charged Nov. 7 with being a fugitive. Mitchell is wanted in Houston County, Minn., on charges of assaulting a peace officer and obstructing the legal process, according to the complaint.
Nemo Yang
Nemo Yang, 22, Holmen, was charged Nov. 6 with felony bail jumping, possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. A backpack with 0.09 grams of meth and several meth pipes were found under Yang’s seat during an Oct. 30 traffic stop, according to the complaint.
Stevon Thompson

Stevon D. Thompson, 30, Milwaukee, was charged Nov. 5 with being a fugitive. Thompson is wanted in Houston County, Minn., for a probation violation, according to the complaint.
Terry Muns

Terry J. Muns, 33, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 5 with possession of an electric weapon, felony bail jumping, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of an illegally obtained prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia, all as a repeat offender. Muns had a black stun gun, 2.7 grams of heroin, two Quetiapine capsules and several hypodermic needles Nov. 4 when police went into his hotel room for a welfare check, according to the complaint.
Leonard Larson

Leonard D. Larson, 33, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 5 with being a fugitive. Larson is wanted in Winona County, Minn., for a probation violation, according to the complaint.
Angelica Pitzer
Anjelica L. Pitzer, 32, Wauzeka, Wis., was charged Nov. 5 with felony bail jumping, possession of methamphetamine, misdemeanor theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. Pitzer had a straw with meth inside and hundreds of syringes when she was arrested Nov. 4 for taking $157.35-worth of items from the La Crosse Walmart, according to the criminal complaint.
Jacob Stanles

Jacob Stanles, 26, Minneapolis, was charged Nov. 4 with being a fugitive. Stanles was wanted in Houston County, Minn., for a probation violation, according to the complaint.
William Johnson-Wright

William A. Johnson-Wright, 23, La Crosse, was charged Nov. 1 with false imprisonment, misdemeanor battery, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. Johnson-Wright refused to allow a woman to leave a bedroom Oct. 24 during an argument, broke a TV, hit a woman with pieces of wood and threatened her, according to the complaint.
The following people have been charged with a felony in La Crosse County.
The following people have been charged with a felony in La Crosse County.
The building at 333 Vine St. is a criminal justice hub. The La Crosse County Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center, which opened in 1997 with …