February 2020

MT. HOREB–The Dane County Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday afternoon that a suspect is in custody in the Jan. 15 homicide of Nicholas Day, 26, on CTH JG in the town of Blue Mounds.

Riley Berg, 21, of Mt. Horeb, was taken into custody by Dane County Sheriff’s detectives on Thursday evening, Feb. 13 in Mt. Horeb. He is currently being held in the Dane County Jail on a tentative charge of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide.

The motive for the killing is still unclear, and at this point, a connection between the victim and the suspect is unknown. This continues to be an active investigation and the Sheriff’s Office would like to hear from anyone who knows Berg and may have information on a connection to Day or on Berg’s activities/behavior before and after the homicide. Investigators can be reached through our tip line at 608-284-6900. Deputies and detectives will continue to have a presence in the area as they follow-up on information.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Police Department (MIPD) began investigating an incident alleging Middleton High School (MHS)students shared nude photos of students under the age of 18. 

The investigation started on Feb. 11 after police were notified of the photo sharing. In a press release sent out by the department on Feb. 13, MIPD stated, “The Middleton Police Department is working directly with the Middleton Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) to identify students who may have been victimized or were involved in sharing these pictures.”

In an email sent to MHS parents, the district attached the release sent by police. The MCPASD message is as follows:

On Tuesday, we were made aware of an investigation by the Middleton Police Department of some MHS students. Middleton Police issued a news release, which is below, earlier today.

They are peaking at the perfect time.

They’re beating the top teams on their schedule. And they’re routing the teams that aren’t as strong.

Middleton’s girls basketball team, which finished second at the WIAA Division 1 state tournament last year, is positioning itself to make another run at the title.

The Cardinals pushed their winning streak to 12 games last week with two more impressive wins. Middleton routed Madison La Follette, 67-29, on Feb. 4, then whipped Beloit Memorial, 63-36, on Feb. 6.

The Cardinals improved to 17-1 overall and are 13-1 in the Big Eight Conference, ½-game behind league-leading Madison Memorial.

As a three-point ace himself, Middleton sophomore Logan Raffel can certainly appreciate quality outside shooting when he sees it.

Unfortunately, Raffel and the Cardinals saw too much of it from Madison Memorial Friday night.

The Spartans hit 5-of-9 three-pointers in the second half — including a trio from junior Kyle Yu in a 2-minute span early in the period — en route to defeating host Middleton, 63-42, in a Big Eight Conference game.

“They’ve got a lot of shooters,” Raffel said. “We could have got (out on them) quicker, but it just didn’t work out. When they have that many threats they just pass for more and it’s another three. It’s hard to get out to those shooters.”

Senior forward Cole Deptula scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the first half and Raffel chipped in 12 points for the Cardinals (5-9 overall, 4-7 Big Eight), who pulled within five points at 26-21 with 16 minutes left after a pair of baskets by senior forward Billy Johnson.