Fredonia man charged after standoff in park

Ozaukee County Sheriff’s deputies were called to Waubedonia Park on Thursday, April 30, after a man with a gun was seen roaming the woods at Waubedonia Park.

According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the park at about 8:33 p.m. after they received a report of a drunken man in the park who fired the gun three times near another person.

When they arrived, deputies were told the man, Mitchell Kocher, 24, had not been taking his mental health medication and had been drinking all day, according to authorities.

Once they spotted the man in the park, they ordered him to come out, but he refused to comply and ran farther into the woods.

A witness told deputies he encountered Kocher at the park. He said Kocher never made a suicidal statement but pointed the gun at his own head and then fired two shots into the ground and one into the air. 

The man said Kocher also threatened a park employee.

The Ozaukee County Metro Special Response Team and the Ozaukee County Drone Team then responded to the scene.

Officers used the drone, equipped with a thermal imaging camera, to search the woods and determined that the man had fled the park and returned to his residence in the 800 block of Fredonia Avenue. 

According to a criminal complaint, special-response team members made contact with Kocher at the house and took him into custody without further incident.

A preliminary breath test showed Kocher had a blood-alcohol level of 0.138, above 0.08 level that the state considers to be evidence of drunkenness.

Kocher admitted to deputies that he fired the gun, but said he lost it in the woods. The gun was not recovered.

He was charged with second-degree reckless endangering safety, a felony, and misdemeanor possession of a firearm while intoxicated.

If convicted on both counts, Kocher could be sentenced up to five years and nine months incarceration.

The Saukville Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department K9 Unit, Milwaukee Police Department K9 Unit and Fredonia Fire Department also responded to the incident.

Area residents were notified of the situation via AlertSense and instructed to shelter in place. 

Traffic on Fredonia Avenue was shut down for about hour. The parking lot at the Fredonia Government Center on Fredonia Avenue was used as a staging area. 

According to online court records, a status hearing in Ozaukee County Circuit Court has been set for May 21 before Judge Paul Malloy.

Kocher was released on a $5,000 signature bond and ordered to maintain absolute sobriety, must take his prescribed medication and may not possess a firearm. He also must find another place to live if his parents will not allow him to stay at their house, Malloy ordered.