Lantern Project: Since October 2013, Hope House has joined with other domestic violence programs around the state by implementing the Lantern Project. For our part in this statewide project, we added to the lamppost in front of Hope House a purple wreath. We will turn on the light for a week every time there is a death related to domestic violence in Wisconsin. We will post information online about the person(s) that was killed. If you drive by our building and see our lamppost on, please reflect on the deadly impact that domestic violence has on our communities. We know the list of stories we post here is incomplete. We strive to learn about and share these stories but know that there are some that we and the media miss. If you see a news story of a death in WI related to domestic violence and don't see it posted here, please feel free to let us know about it here. Thank you.

March 12th, 2018 , Cody Nachtrab, Age 23, Deer Creek

Obituary
Article


A Deer Creek woman accused of starting a house fire that killed her developmentally disabled brother last week was charged Monday with first-degree reckless homicide, arson and bail jumping.

Dana L. Nachtrab, 27, was ordered held on a $300,000 cash bond with conditions including that she not possess any devices capable of lighting a fire.

Her brother Cody Nachtrab, 23, was found dead inside the burning home at W10721 Pine Road in Deer Creek. Dana Nachtrab's husband tried to get Cody out of the home but her brother was afraid of the fire and didn't understand the danger, Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis said in court Monday. He died of smoke inhalation. The fire was reported at 11:20 p.m. on March 12. Dana Nachtrab, her husband and their 2-year-old child escaped the blaze, Tempelis said.  The family lives in the residence, which her mother owned. Her mother was not home. The house was destroyed and Cody killed in the fire that authorities say Dana Nachtrab started in a fit of anger. Tempelis said that in a text conversation she said she wanted to burn the house down and expressed that she was frustrated and upset. Later that day, the family dog died, and she and her husband argued about their relationship, Tempelis said."She gets very angry, goes outside to a fire pit where they had a fire that was apparently going and then comes back in and does what she had texted previous that day when she indicated that she was going to start the house on fire," Tempelis said.  Nachtrab lit either a winter sock or glove, which started a "very intense" fire, Tempelis  said. According to the criminal complaint :Nachtrab's husband told investigators that he came home when she called him to say that the family dog had died. He was in his bedroom when she came into the room and told him there was a fire in her mother's room. He tried to put out the fire with water and soda but ultimately told her to take their daughter out of the home.  He found Cody in his bedroom with a blanket over his head and shouted for him to get out. At one point, he told police, Cody started going toward the door but turned around saying, "Bed, bed, bed." When he tried to grab Cody to pull him out, Cody got angry and swung at him, he said. He said when he looked back he could only see black smoke. That's when he left the residence. Nachtrab allowed investigators to search her phone, which was how they found the text message — sent about eight hours before the fire was reported — that referenced her lighting the house on fire. She told police she had been struggling with a lot of stress. She said she was still dealing with her father's death in a July 2017 crash and was responsible for taking care of Cody, who would go into a rage and at times become abusive. She also described a very troubled relationship with her husband. She said she started the fire to prove a point after an argument with her husband over her talking with an ex-boyfriend — but she didn't intend for it to grow so big so quickly. She said she called 911 when she was outside and at that point thick black smoke was coming from the patio door she had left through. She was booked into the Outagamie County Jail just before 5 p.m. Wednesday. A preliminary hearing was set for March 27. She also made her initial appearance Monday in a separate misdemeanor case for which she was already scheduled to be in court. She's facing charges of battery and disorderly conduct, both as domestic abuse, in the Oct. 10 call to the home in which she's accused of hitting her husband.

March 24th, 2018 , Robin Reeson, Age 46, Ridgeway

Obituary
Article

Officials have identified the two people who were home during the fatal domestic-abuse shooting Saturday morning, according to a release from the Iowa County Sheriff's Office.

Officers were called to Keane Street in Ridgeway around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. Deputies found 46-year-old Robin Reeson dead, apparently shot after a domestic abuse incident escalated, officials said.

Reeson's wife, Melanie M. Reeson, 43, and Austin D. Valdez, 19, were home at the time of the shooting. Valdez is Melanie Reeson's son, according to the release.

The investigation is ongoing and that officers will be conducting multiple interviews with people who say they have information that could be helpful, according to the release.

There are no prior reported domestic incidents involving any of the three, according to the release.

Lantern Project: Since October 2013, Hope House has joined with other domestic violence programs around the state by implementing the Lantern Project. For our part in this statewide project, we added to the lamppost in front of Hope House a purple wreath. We will turn on the light for a week every time there is a death related to domestic violence in Wisconsin. We will post information online about the person(s) that was killed. If you drive by our building and see our lamppost on, please reflect on the deadly impact that domestic violence has on our communities. We know the list of stories we post here is incomplete. We strive to learn about and share these stories but know that there are some that we and the media miss. If you see a news story of a death in WI related to domestic violence and don't see it posted here, please feel free to let us know about it here. Thank you.

March 10th, 2018 Jessica Johnson, Age 32, Holmen
March 10th, 2018, Gabriela Farias, Age 1, Holmen

Obituary pending
Article

A baby girl and a woman were found dead in Ocala National Forest on Saturday morning and the shooter, the little girl's father, later died of a self-inflicted wound in an apparent murder-suicide, authorities said.
Investigators said Kevin Benjamin Olesen Farias, 26 of Minnesota shot and killed Jessica Johnson, 33, and their 1-year-old daughter Gabriela Farias.
Farias later died in a hospital, deputies said Monday morning.
They all had gunshot wounds, Marion County Sheriff’s spokesman Paul Bloom said Saturday.
Johnson and Gabriela are from Wisconsin, Bloom said.
While details of the attack haven’t been made public, deputies were called Saturday to an area near Forest Road 88, about 2 miles north of State Road 40, after a person in the area found the man and the victims at 10:52 a.m.

Welcome to the March 2018 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!​

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month & Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is quickly approaching and Hope House staff and volunteers are working on projects for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and Child Abuse Prevention Month.

We're planning things like Denim Day (April 25), community displays and booths, poster distribution, and radio PSAs and letters to the editor. Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for more information and ways you can get involved! In the meantime, visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's SAAM page to learn more about this year's theme "Embrace Your Voice."

March is Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month and this year's theme is "Nevertheless, She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women." Learn more from the National Women's History Project and check out this Time article, Why 'Nevertheless, She Persisted' Is the Theme for This Year's Women's History Month.

Help Us Reach 1,000!
Do you like Hope House's Facebook page? We'd love to have you follow us! Recent posts include our monthly Hope House advocate spotlight, monthly wish list updates, donation drive photos, event and awareness campaign photos, and helpful news articles, videos, and resources. To be sure to see our posts, after liking our page, click on Following, select See First and Notifications On.

We're getting close to 1,000 likes. Can you help us get there? Share our page with your FB friends. You can also write a review and recommend Hope House. Thank you for your support!

Hope House Donation Needs
​Monetary donations are most needed.  Individuals have the option of donating ​online.  Please note that a portion of your online donation will go towards PayPal fees.  Donations can be mailed to Hope House, P.O. Box 557, Baraboo, WI 53913. We also appreciate gas cards, gift cards (Walmart, Kwik Trip, Walgreens, Kohl’s), taxi vouchers from Baraboo Taxi, and used cell phones, iPods and iPads.  Please note that we are not accepting used stuffed animals/plush toys, used toys, clothes (except for new sweatshirts and sweatpants), shoes, used books, furniture, TVs, bar soap, hats, scarves or travel-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash. Current needs include the following:

• Food: milk, produce, bottled water
• Baby Items: size 6 diapers
• Cleaning Supplies: dishwasher detergent, magic erasers, hand sanitizer, disinfecting sprays/wipes
• Kitchen: tall garbage bags, ice cube trays
• Program Supplies: whiteboard markers, highlighters, 2-pocket plastic folders
• New Clothing for Adults and Children: t-shirts (all sizes), pajama/yoga/sweatpants (size medium and large)

Special Note about Travel-Size Items: We encourage those looking to donate travel-size items to donate them to the Backpack Project. The Backpack Project strives to provide Baraboo School District students who are financially challenged to enter the school doors on the first day ‘just like everyone else’ and to show these children the community supports and encourages them to learn and do their best. If interested in donating towards this project, please contact Becky Hovde at 608-963-8230 or hivebiz@centurytel.net.

Domestic Violence

• Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz shared a trait with other mass killers: He abused women: “The 19-year-old was abusive towards his ex-girlfriend and was expelled after getting in a fight with her new boyfriend, one student told the New York Times (paywall). He was taken with another student 'to the point of stalking her,' his former math teacher said (paywall). Another student said he had been close friends with Cruz but cut him off after he started 'going after' and 'threatening' a female friend of his. It shouldn’t be a surprise. The perpetrators of mass shootings in modern America were overwhelmingly male and had a history of domestic abuse or misogynistic shows of behavior”…Read more
• After #MeToo, why isn't there more focus on domestic violence?: “Other stats that Dubus points to show how effective the High Risk Team's approach has been: Ninety-five percent of women have been able to stay in their homes, 78% of the offenders have been before the courts -- and of those who have been to court, 65% have served time. ‘The reason that's important, not only is this about accountability, but ... when a violent perpetrator is behind bars for 90 days, 180 days or a year, that gives (the victim) incredible time to safety plan, to change her life,’”…Read more
• I Know Where You've Been: Digital Spying And Divorce In The Smartphone Age: “With her suspicions raised after discovering the GPS tracker, M went to an Apple store for help locating spyware on her phone. She says the Genius Bar employees didn't look for the spyware; instead they helped her by swapping the device for a brand new one. But that meant that the evidence, if any, went along with the phone. This is common in spyware cases, in which victims solve the immediate problem but can't present proof for an investigation…People who believe they are victims have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to get a private investigator who specializes in digital forensics to diagnose their smartphones or laptops”…Read more

​Parents' and Youth Service Providers' Section

Resources

• National Women’s Law Center’s That’s Harassment Resources: “Employers play an important role in ending our culture of pervasive sexual harassment, and creating safe and equitable workplaces. Need some help getting started? These resources outline ideas for critical workplace strategies and changes, and information about effective policies and training, to strengthen employer efforts to address and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace”…View resources here