Police critique | Weekly Wausonian

Wausau news for the week of Aug. 20, 2026

An incident involving the arrest of a number of teen girls has sparked controversy this week after video of the encounter surfaced on social media.

The video, which depicts some of an incident in which at least some of 11 allegedly intoxicated teens were arrested, some with the use of force, has sparked a Change.org petition and a statement from the police chief.

According to the opening paragraph of the petition, the encounter led to an unnecessarily harsh arrest of a 15-year-old girl depicted in one of two several-minute-long videos posted to Facebook on Thursday morning:

In a deeply disturbing incident in our community, a member of the Wausau Police Department used excessive force against a young girl (15 years old), causing serious physical injuries. A full-grown male officer broke open her lip and face, leaving her bleeding, bruised, and swollen. Shockingly, even after she was handcuffed, he continued to kneel on her back, creating a dangerous and unnecessary situation.

But Wausau Police Chief Matt Barnes says the incident was taken out of context and that the whole encounter paints a different story:

Officers dealt with 11 intoxicated teenagers, some of whom were disrespectful, argumentative, vulgar, physically resisted arrest and assaulted an officer. These teenagers made a series of bad decisions. The Wausau Police Department has no intention of publicly shaming them or sharing video of their behavior.

Our officers seek voluntary compliance whenever they can. They don’t want to use force. The officers in this incident made numerous attempts to deescalate the situation and gave the group multiple opportunities to cooperate and avoid additional consequences.

The whole incident lasted 90 minutes, Barnes says. The Wausonian asked Barnes when and where the incident took place, which hasn’t been explained anywhere yet. As of Wednesday evening, The Wausonian had not gotten a response.

UPDATE: Barnes told The Wausonian after publication that the incident took place at 11:45 pm Aug. 9, a Sunday, in the 200 Block of Scott Street.

The change.org petition as of Wednesday afternoon has 293 signatures.

Recently, Mosinee announced it had a new fire chief — but we wondered: what happened to the former chief? The Wausonian dug up what happened, but there is even more to the story.

And, almost two months after he was censured, The Wausonian found out what was behind a Wausau Police referral for election fraud charges against a county board member.

Paid subscribers also got a sneak preview at the week ahead, and learned news ahead of anyone else in our group chats. Become a paid subscriber and be in the know today!

What else in Wausau?

One dead in Wausau Avenue fire: A man and a cat are dead following a fatal structure fire on Wausau Avenue Monday night. Firefighters responded within three minutes to a fire in the 800 block of E. Wausau Avenue around 11:30 pm Monday night. Firefighters were able to remove one occupant from the fire and attempt to save his life, but they were unable to. Officials have not yet identified the name or age of the male victim of the fire.

Wausau Water Works reducing fluoride levels — but not for the reason you think: Wausau Water Works announced this week that it will be reducing its fluoride usage in city water — but not out of health concerns. The move comes as a nationwide supply shortage leaves municipalities struggling to get their usual amount of fluoride to add to the water supply. That reduction will remain until normal supply chains are restored, Wausau Water Works officials say.

Grand Avenue south to be reconstructed in 2029: The city and state transportation department plan to reconstruct Grand Avenue from Kent Street to Lake View Drive by 2029. The process, according to information shared at the city’s Infrastructure and Facilities Committee last week, would involve partial property acquisitions. The total project is expected to cost $4.3 million, with the city’s share coming to just under $600,000. The configuration of the road will largely remain the same. Department of Transportation officials say in the future they plan to reconstruct Grand Avenue from Lake View Drive to the Eau Claire River.

Around the metro

Police department funding passes Weston board: The financing agreement to fund a new $7 million headquarters for Mountain Bay Metro passed the Weston Board Monday, but not without skepticism. The board voted 4-1 to approve the village’s share of $4.3 million of the $7 million projected cost. The department will pay back $130,000 annually toward the cost of the building starting in 2028, with the goal of paying more when the department’s budget can afford it. But some board members questioned why the village was raising its levy to make the payments that would pay back the loan faster than the police department would compensate the village, and why the agreement hadn’t been reviewed by Weston’s attorney. “I keep hearing, ‘They’re paying us back,’ but we’re going to have to increase our levy by quite a bit in order to pay off this loan,” Board Member Barb Ermeling said.

Marathon County committee pushes wind farm issue to full board: Marathon County’s Executive Committee decided to push the decision of whether to pursue a joint development agreement — and thus have some say — with Alliant Energy for a proposed wind farm in the southwest area of Marathon County. The Hub City Wind Farm, which could have between 28 and 38 wind turbines, has not yet been approved by the Public Service Commission but residents and Marathon County officials are concerned about the potential for noise, property value loss and pollution from the turbines. Some committee members wanted a broader discussion on other possibilities, such as a moratorium, a change to the comprehensive plan, ordinance revisions or even intervention in the PSC case itself.

Fundraising begins for new ice arena: A group that hopes to raise money to build a new ice arena in Wausau has begun to raise money. Wausau Community Ice Center is currently working on securing private donations and grants to build a new ice arena to replace the existing facility, which is struggling as it ages. One rink is using a removable mat system to chill the ice after its underlying system failed. The county has resubmitted a FEMA grant that provides money for facilities if they include a tornado safe room aspect to help keep the community safe. And users are seeking other funding sources such as other grants, private funding, user-group funding, room-tax revenue and other sources.

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Business

Forward Beverage closing storefront, Venado moving in: Forward Beverage announced this week that the business would be closing up its retail storefront. The company, according to its owner, will focus exclusively on e-commerce and wholesale supply, according to a social media post the owner made announcing the change. The change comes in response to a federal spending bill that closed the 2018 Farm Bill loophole that allowed for low-THC products to be sold. Meanwhile, Venado Wine Bar applied for a license transfer, stating it was moving to that address. By the way, paid subscribers heard this news first. Become one today!

Entertainment

Devon Allman is the talented son of Gregg Allman, founding member of the legendary Allman Brothers Band. Devon headlines the Big Bull Falls Blues Fest, and that’s not all this weekend, with a dog fundraiser your pooch can participate in, a classy vintage jazz singer, a kite festival and so much more. All in Your Wausome Weekend Guide. Remember to tell them The Wausonian sent ya.

Sports

High school football: Non-conference games start today (Thursday). D.C. Everest plays at Chippewa Falls, and Wausau West plays at Menomonie. Both games start at 7 pm. Most other high school sports we cover start their conference season in early September.

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