On Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at 2:19pm, the Fond du Lac County Communications Center received a 911 call from a homeless Fox Valley area veteran who was actively in mental health crisis. The man was located in a parking lot on the north end of the Eldorado Marsh along CTH N, armed with both a revolver and rifle, and was contemplating suicide.
Deputies from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, as did our in-house crisis social worker who was also working. Dispatchers remained on the line and communicated with the individual until the crisis social worker took over communication by phone from a safe location.
Deputies contained the scene and nearby residents were notified to shelter in place. The sheriff’s office SWAT, negotiator, drone, and K9 teams were also deployed to assist.
After approximately one hour, the individual exited his vehicle unarmed and surrendered to law enforcement without incident. He was able to meet with the crisis social worker on the scene for further conversation and is receiving the medical and other assistance he needs. He is not facing any criminal charges and no one was injured during the incident.
Also assisting at the scene was the Wisconsin State Patrol, North Fond du Lac Ambulance and Eldorado First Responders.
Unfortunately, situations like this are not uncommon. Fond du Lac County residents can be thankful for the trained and skilled dispatchers, responders, and crisis social workers who work collaboratively to peacefully and successfully resolve serious situations like this in our community. We also want to remind residents that help is available. The US Department of Veteran Affairs maintains a 24/7 crisis line for veterans which can be accessed by simply dialing 988. Fond du Lac County maintains a 24/7 crisis line that anyone can call at 920-929-3535. Lastly, as was the case in this incident, 911 can be dialed and resources deployed to help anyone struggling and in crisis. Resources are available, and we ask anyone who knows of someone in crisis to reach out and help connect that person to the resources they need.
