Courier Press

Charges were filed against Cheryl A. Bartels, 58, of Prairie du Chien, on Wednesday, July 15. The former corrections officer at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel is charged with eight counts of delivering illegal articles to an inmate and 15 counts of second-degree sexual assault by correctional staff.

Bartels has not been arrested, and her initial court appearance is set for 10 a.m. Aug. 3. She could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Department started investigating Bartels on June 15 when they were contacted by prison officials.

According to court documents, an inmate identified only as EAG and a second inmate at the prison got into a fight that day. After the fight, prison staff found an iPod Touch in EAG’s cell. Staff looked at its contents to determine its owner and found several nude photos of Bartels.

By Caitlin Bittner

For a year now, Chad Smethurst of NCS Gunsmithing and Sales has had a trick up his sleeve when it came to making European mounts—dermestid beetles.

“They don’t eat rotten meat. Mostly they eat the muscle tissue and ligaments,” explained Smethurst.

To begin, Smethurst said that he bought 100,000 beetles, but now his population has grown. “I’m guessing that the colony has about three to four million bugs in it now.”

Smethurst said that his beetles are able to eat any meat, noting that his beetles have been used to clean whitetail deer, elk and some small rodents.

Although the beetles are not known to be picky eaters, Smethurst did say that it is necessary for him to do some of the work in order to prepare the meat for them. “I have to take all the skin off, but then it takes about two days [for them] to clean off a deer head. Their perfect meat is also freezer burnt and then I moisten it for them.”

On Saturday, July 11, at 11:18 a.m. the Crawford County Dispatch Center was notified of a two vehicle crash on State Highway 60/61 at Marietta Valley Road, two miles north of Boscobel.

Gary Peckham, 66, of Richland Center, was driving a 2015 Chevy Silverado. He pulled out from Marietta Valley Road in front of a northbound 2013 Chevy Equinox driven by Linda Oler, 56, of Dubuque, Iowa.

Oler was transported to the Boscobel Hospital where she was treated for bumps and bruises and later released. Oler was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the accident. Peckham was also wearing his seatbelt and escaped injury.

Oler’s vehicle sustained severe front end damage, Peckham’s vehicle sustained severe right side damage. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. Peckham was cited for failure to yield right of way.
Assisting at the scene was the Boscobel Rescue Squad, Boscobel Fire Department, Boscobel Police Department and Terry’s Tire and Tow.