Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office

Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office Sheriff's Office - 180 S Macy Street, Fond du Lac, WI
Jail - 63 Western Ave, Fond du Lac, WI

THE MISSION OF THE
FOND DU LAC COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office serves all the people within Fond du Lac County with respect, fairness, and compassion. The Sheriff’s Office is a value driven organization which serves our community through it’s commitment to the following:

PREVENTION OF CRIME,
PROTECTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY,
PRESERVATION OF PEACE AND ORDER,
ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS AND ORDINANCES,
SAFEKEEPING OF OFFENDERS,
AND THE SAFEGUARDING OF CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEES.

**S*x Offender Release****In conjunction with the City of Fond du Lac Police Department**The Fond du Lac Police Departme...
09/28/2026

**S*x Offender Release**
**In conjunction with the City of Fond du Lac Police Department**

The Fond du Lac Police Department is releasing the following information pursuant to Wisconsin State Statute 301.45 and 301.46 (Act 440), which authorizes law enforcement agencies to inform the public of a s*x offender’s release when, at the discretion of the agency, the release of information will enhance public safety and protection.

The individual who appears on this notification has been convicted of a s*x offense that requires registration with the local law enforcement agencies. Further, the previous criminal history places the offender in a classification level which reflects the potential to re-offend.

This s*x offender has served the sentence imposed on them by the courts.
THIS PERSON IS NOT WANTED BY THE POLICE AT THIS TIME. THIS NOTIFICATION IS NOT INTENDED TO INCREASE FEAR; RATHER, IT IS OUR BELIEF THAT AN INFORMED COMMUNITY IS A SAFER COMMUNITY.
S*x offenders have always lived in our communities but it was not until passage of Act 440 (which mandates s*x offender registration) that law enforcement even knew where they were living. In many cases, law enforcement is now able to share that information with you. Citizen abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate, or harass registered s*x offenders will not be tolerated. Further, such abuse could potentially end law enforcement’s ability to do community notification. We believe the only person who wins if community notification ends is the s*x offender, since s*x offenders derive their power through secrecy.

The Fond du Lac Police Department is available to help you set up Neighborhood Watches and to provide you with useful information on personal safety and protective behaviors. The Fond du Lac Police Department can be reached at 322-3700. If you have information regarding current criminal activity of this or any other offender, please call (920) 906-5555. In the case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

The Fond du Lac Police Department has been notified by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections that Michael A Bird is being released back into the Fond du Lac Community after serving 19-years of prison time for Revocation of Extended Supervision from a count of Repeated S*xual Assault of Same Child and 2nd Degree S*xual Assault of a Child.

Michael A Bird is on supervision until October 17, 2046. Special conditions of Michael A Bird supervised release:
1. No unsupervised contact with minors, no contact with victim, not to consume drugs.
2. Comply with standard s*x offender rules; cooperate with electronic monitoring.
3. Face-to-face contact with law enforcement required; comply with all requirements and lifetime registrant of Wisconsin S*x Offender Registry.

Michael A Bird will be residing at 457 Thomas Street in the City of Fond du Lac upon his release on or about September 29, 2026.

Contact Information:
Fond du Lac Police Department: Emergency: 9-1-1
Fond du Lac Police Department: Non-Emergency: (920) 906-5555
Division of Community Corrections: (920) 929-2983
Internet: https://www.fdl.wi.gov/police/ -or- https://appsdoc.wi.gov/public

Date: 09-27-2026Incident: Vehicle PursuitAuthority: Sgt. Logan WillOn Sunday, September 27th, 2026 at 4:09p.m., a dep...
09/28/2026

Date: 09-27-2026
Incident: Vehicle Pursuit
Authority: Sgt. Logan Will

On Sunday, September 27th, 2026 at 4:09p.m., a deputy with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation on Military Rd. near W. 9th St., located in the City of Fond du Lac. The vehicle increased its speed resulting in a brief vehicle pursuit, which came to an end after the driver turned down a dead-end road.

The driver and lone occupant, a 29-year-old male from Medford, Wisconsin, was taken into custody. He is being held at the Fond du Lac County Jail on charges of felony flee / elude and misdemeanor bail jumping. He was issued citations for operating without a valid license, failure to stop at stop sign, possession of open intoxicants, and operating while intoxicated – 1st offense.

No injuries occurred during the pursuit and no property was damaged. The length of the pursuit was just over ½ mile. The driver was out on a $500 cash bond through Taylor County for disorderly conduct and endangering safety - use of a dangerous weapon, both with domestic abuse enhancers.

See Tracks? Think Train® WeekSee Tracks? Think Train® Week is here! It’s a great reminder for everyone to slow down, sta...
09/22/2026

See Tracks? Think Train® Week

See Tracks? Think Train® Week is here! It’s a great reminder for everyone to slow down, stay alert, and make safe decisions around railroad tracks and crossings.

On Monday, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, and Fond du Lac Police Department assisted CN Police with a railroad crossing enforcement and education initiative throughout Fond du Lac County. We appreciate the invitation from CN Police to partner on this local safety initiative and work together to raise awareness and prevent avoidable incidents at railroad crossings. During the initiative, officers and deputies monitored 55 railroad crossing activations and conducted 3 traffic stops for railroad crossing-related violations. That’s 3 traffic stops too many.

Railroad crossing signs, lights, and gates are there for a reason. Never try to beat a train, drive around lowered gates, or ignore warning signals.

Learn more about railroad safety and take the pledge at cn.ca/railsafety.

Be Rail Smart! Stop, Look, Listen and Live by always following railway crossing signs and signals.

**S*x Offender Release****In conjunction with the City of Fond du Lac Police Department**The Fond du Lac Police Departme...
09/21/2026

**S*x Offender Release**
**In conjunction with the City of Fond du Lac Police Department**

The Fond du Lac Police Department is releasing the following information pursuant to Wisconsin State Statute 301.45 and 301.46 (Act 440), which authorizes law enforcement agencies to inform the public of a s*x offender’s release when, at the discretion of the agency, the release of information will enhance public safety and protection.

The individual who appears on this notification has been convicted of a s*x offense that requires registration with the local law enforcement agencies. Further, the previous criminal history places the offender in a classification level which reflects the potential to re-offend.

This s*x offender has served the sentence imposed on them by the courts.
THIS PERSON IS NOT WANTED BY THE POLICE AT THIS TIME. THIS NOTIFICATION IS NOT INTENDED TO INCREASE FEAR; RATHER, IT IS OUR BELIEF THAT AN INFORMED COMMUNITY IS A SAFER COMMUNITY.
S*x offenders have always lived in our communities but it was not until passage of Act 440 (which mandates s*x offender registration) that law enforcement even knew where they were living. In many cases, law enforcement is now able to share that information with you. Citizen abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate, or harass registered s*x offenders will not be tolerated. Further, such abuse could potentially end law enforcement’s ability to do community notification. We believe the only person who wins if community notification ends is the s*x offender, since s*x offenders derive their power through secrecy.

The Fond du Lac Police Department is available to help you set up Neighborhood Watches and to provide you with useful information on personal safety and protective behaviors. The Fond du Lac Police Department can be reached at 322-3700. If you have information regarding current criminal activity of this or any other offender, please call (920) 906-5555. In the case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

The Fond du Lac Police Department has been notified by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections that William T. Schellinger II is being released back into the Fond du Lac Community after serving 11-years of prison time for 2nd Degree S*xual Assault of a Child (2 Counts), Repeated S*xual Assault of the same Child (3+ Violation of 1st or 2nd Degree S*xual Assault), Child S*xploitations (6 Counts), and Possession of Child Po*******hy (6 Counts).

William T. Schellinger II is on supervision until September 24, 2041. Special conditions of William T. Schellinger II supervised release:
1. No unsupervised contact with minors, no contact with victim, not to consume drugs.
2. Comply with standard s*x offender rules; cooperate with electronic monitoring.
3.Face-to-face contact with law enforcement required; comply with all requirements and lifetime registrant of Wisconsin S*x Offender Registry.

William T. Schellinger II will be residing at 457 Thomas Street in the City of Fond du Lac upon his release on or about September 22, 2026.

Contact Information:
Fond du Lac Police Department: Emergency: 9-1-1
Fond du Lac Police Department: Non-Emergency: (920) 906-5555
Division of Community Corrections: (920) 929-2983
Internet: https://www.fdl.wi.gov/police/ -or- https://appsdoc.wi.gov/public

See Tracks Think Train® Week is here! Let’s work together to keep our community safe. Take the pledge and commit to bein...
09/20/2026

See Tracks Think Train® Week is here! Let’s work together to keep our community safe. Take the pledge and commit to being safe around trains and tracks. Find out more: cn.ca/railsafety

09/18/2026

**Media Release - Video footage of pursuit on 09-14-2026.**

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDate: September 18, 2026Incident: Arrest Made in 1995 Homicide of James "Jim" RulandAuthority: Sher...
09/18/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: September 18, 2026
Incident: Arrest Made in 1995 Homicide of James "Jim" Ruland
Authority: Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt

In the early morning hours of Friday, September 18, 2026, detectives from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office arrested a suspect in connection with the 1995 disappearance of James "Jim" Ruland. The arrest was made at a rural address near Spencer, Wisconsin, on a charge of first-degree intentional homicide.
James Ruland was confirmed to be last seen on October 24, 1995, and a witness reported they may have seen him hitchhiking in North Fond du Lac on October 26th, 1995. He has not been seen since.

Ruland was 40 years old at the time of his disappearance and was living at an address in the Town of Ripon. Following his disappearance, his vehicle was later located at the Stretch Truck Stop in North Fond du Lac.

James Ruland’s information was entered into numerous nationwide databases, including the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), and the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP). Attached with this release is the associated ViCAP bulletin.

Over the past 31 years, law enforcement has conducted extensive efforts to locate Ruland. Evidence uncovered during the investigation shifted the case from a missing person inquiry to a homicide investigation. Search efforts to locate his remains have included human remains detection K9s, ground-penetrating radar, aerial searches, large-scale excavations of potential burial sites, public safety divers searching waterways, and detectives searching a pig farm manure pit.

In 2021, advances in forensic testing technology led detectives to request additional testing of evidence previously submitted to the Wisconsin State Crime Lab. Those results helped corroborate information gathered through interviews and other evidence analysis. Further interviews followed, and efforts to locate Ruland’s remains continued. Although his remains have not been recovered, this sustained investigation has developed sufficient probable cause to support an arrest.

Working with the Fond du Lac County District Attorney's Office, detectives obtained a search warrant for Jerome Baier’s residence, which was served early this morning, and suspect Jerome Baier was arrested there for first-degree intentional homicide of James Ruland. Baier was Ruland’s roommate at the time of his disappearance. Baier was transported to the Fond du Lac County Jail where he remains in custody awaiting an initial court appearance.

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office was assisted throughout the investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the Marathon County Sheriff's Office.

James Ruland’s family has requested privacy in this matter and asks media not contact them for comment.

For 31 years, detectives with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office have remained committed to uncovering the truth behind James Ruland's homicide. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact Lieutenant of Detectives Alex Volm at 920-924-2406 or Detective Dave Olig at 920-906-4799. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the Fond du Lac County Law Enforcement Tip Line at 920-906-4777.

# # #

Last week we welcomed several new employees to the Sheriff's Office. These employees all were sworn in and took their O...
09/17/2026

Last week we welcomed several new employees to the Sheriff's Office. These employees all were sworn in and took their Oath of Office.

Joining the Sheriff's Office Jail Division are Correctional Deputies Jayden Raynor, Rachael Luna, Fernanda Rojas-Ruiz and Alfredo Castro.

Sarah McCarthy and Aydian Regan joined the Jail Division as part of the Kitchen Cook staff.

Welcome to all!

Earlier this month a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for equipment and registration plate violations on Int...
09/15/2026

Earlier this month a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for equipment and registration plate violations on Interstate 41.

During the course of the traffic stop, reasonable suspicion was established to believe that the subjects occupying the vehicle were involved in criminal activity. As a result, Sheriff's Office K9 BOOM was deployed and indicated on the trunk area of the vehicle.

As a result of the subsequent search of the trunk area, approximately 86 grams of co***ne packaged in 3 separate baggies was located, a scale, several hundred dollars in cash and other items of paraphernalia. During the search of the rest of the vehicle, a handgun and other drug paraphernalia were located in the glove compartment area.

As a result of the traffic stop and search, both occupants were arrested and transported to the Fond du Lac County Jail on charges of Possession With Intent To Deliver Co***ne, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The presence of the handgun enhances both charges as committing them while being armed.

The operator of the vehicle, a 34 year old New London man, remains in custody on a $15,000 cash bond, as well as related traffic citations. The passenger of the vehicle, a 32 year old New London man, received a $2,500 cash bond and is no longer in custody.

Address

180 S Macy Street
Fond Du Lac, WI
54935

Telephone

(920) 929-3390

Website

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