Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
A Wittenberg man shot by authorities during a disturbance in the town of Almon last month has been charged with felony counts of reckless endangerment and fleeing an officer.
Daniel W. Onesti, 53, is due in court Wednesday for an initial appearance.
Authorities responded on Feb. 17 to a report of a distraught individual who had allegedly made comments threatening violence.
A Shawano County dispatcher made contact with Onesti via cellphone. According to the criminal complaint, he said he had guns with him and would shoot the first cop he saw.
The Shawano County Special Response Team, including members of the Shawano Police Department and the Stockbridge Police Department, were dispatched. An armored vehicle, from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, was also called to assist.
It was believed Onesti was in a pickup truck in a field near his residence.
A drone was used to locate the vehicle, which was spotted a short time later on County Road D headed back to his residence.
A short chase ensued as Onesti returned to his property and begin driving around several barn buildings and a silo, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleged Onesti rammed a sheriff’s squad, pushing it back some 30 feet and injuring a deputy.
The complaint does not detail the shooting that followed.
Because that aspect of the case is still under investigation by the state Department of Criminal Investigations, the complaint does not include narratives from the two officers involved in the shooting.
Other officers reported hearing shots fired.
Onesti was hit in the shoulder, according to the complaint, and was still in his vehicle when he was taken into custody.
Onesti could face a maximum 12½ years in prison and $25,000 fine if convicted of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and 3½ years and $10,000 if found guilty of using a vehicle to flee an officer.