Investigation concluded; expected to clear officers who shot armed bank robbery suspect

An independent investigation into a law enforcement shooting of a suspected bank robber near Bruce was concluded Monday and is expected to clear the three officers and allow them to return to duty.

The results of the investigation conducted by the Barron County Sheriff’s Department were turned over to the Rusk County Sheriff’s Department and then the Chippewa County District Attorney Jon Theisen for review to determine if officers violated any statutes, according to Rusk County Sheriff David Kaminski.

Investigation results also were turned over to the Brown County Use of Force Team, which reviews law enforcement shootings and use of force issues to determine if any statutes were broken. He hoped to release the official results of the investigation publicly by the end of this week, allowing offi cers to return to work.

“I don’t see any policy, procedure or use of force issues at all,” Kaminski said. “I don’t think they will fi nd anything. I don’t believe there will be any violations at all.”

Rudolf P. Frenzer, 50, of Ingram, led officers from the Birchwood Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Rusk County Sheriff’s Department on a high speed chase approaching speeds exceeding 100 mph following an Oct. 30 robbery of the Exeland Branch of the Dairyland State Bank. He allegedly fied at an officer during the chase, and displayed a weapon after his vehicle crashed with officers’ squads on U.S. just

west of Bruce Frenzer was shot and killed by officers.

Also suspected in the robbery, Steven Ray Willard Jr., 19, of Phillips was arrested in the Deer Lake area,

and Robert H. McCallie Jr., 20, of Kennan, was arrested several days later in Rhinelander.

According to criminal complaints for both men, Frenzer kicked them out of the get-away car in the Deer Lake area along with nearly all of the stolen money. Frenzer then fled south out of Sawyer County and

into Rusk County. Two guns were recovered from the vehicle used by Frenzer.

Rusk County Deputy Jeff Wallace, Rusk County Deputy Riley Kummet and Wisconsin DNR Conservation Warden Jeremy Peery were placed on paid administrative leave after the incident per their departments’

policies. They could return to work as soon as the end of this week as the investigation is nearly complete.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said his department’s investigation did not turn up anything out of the ordinary.

“It appears based on what we found, the officers acted in accordance with their policies, procedures and practices,” Fitzgerald said. Willard was charged with armed robbery last week in Sawyer County Circuit Court. McCallie was charged

with armed robbery the day after the robbery. Both men face fines not more than $100,000 or imprisoned not more than 40 years, or both. They are being held in the Sawyer County Jail on $100,000 cash bond. The next scheduled court date for

Willard is an initial appearance at 8:30 a.m., Nov. 30. The next scheduled court date for

McCallie is a scheduling conference at 2:30 p.m., Feb. 8, 2010.