Suspect arrested after dispute spurs Brooklyn polling place to move

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A tree grows in Brooklyn, and it may have led to a simmering dispute to boil over Tuesday morning, leading to gunfire and law enforcement asking people to avoid the downtown area. Additionally, the law enforcement response led to the village relocating its polling place within hours of it opening for the spring primary.

The dispute between the owners of two businesses on Hotel Street was rooted in a disagreement about what to do with the large tree on one of the properties, the Dane Co. Sheriff’s Office explained. The conflict has lasted a while, it continued, and resulted in “substantial threats” being made. Another update from the Green Co. Sheriff’s Office, which led the investigation, indicated the suspect allegedly fired a shot.

Green Co. Sheriff Jeff Skatrud reported his deputies responded shortly after 7 a.m. to a reported disturbance downtown. Not long afterwards came reports that a gunshot was fired as part of the incident. The Sheriff’s Office locked down the scene and members of the Dane Co. Sheriff’s Office and Madison Police Department were also summoned. Authorities asked people to avoid the area while they tried to track down the suspect.

The law enforcement response restricted access to the village’s polling place at the Community Building, forcing election officials to switch to their backup location. Around 8:30 a.m., Dane Co. Clerk Scott McDonell tweeted they would move all their polling equipment to the Village Public Works Building, at 102 Windy Lane. As a result of the time it took to move everything, the polling place will stay open an extra hour-and-a-half, until 9:30 p.m. In 2019, thirty-seven people voted in the village’s spring primary, which included a race for village president.

Village Clerk Linda Kuhlman said her office had a contingency plan set, as they normally do, but pointed out this was the first time in her eight years that they enacted it. She went to assure voters that their ballots are secure, even with the move.

“(The voting machine) is transported with two of our workers so that the chain of custody is secure, so that everybody voted before we moved, are still safe and secure,” she said. “I have great poll workers and I thank the public works department too because they helped move everything down here.”

Shortly before 10 a.m., the suspect, a 75-year-old man, was found in nearby Oregon. The Dane Co. Sheriff’s Office noted he had already left downtown Brooklyn before law enforcement had arrived on the scene.

The co-owner of the Anchor Club told NBC15 News the tree had been growing into her basement, but the owner of the property where the tree stands does not want to see it cut down. The tree has also grown into that business, Bev’s Custom Sewing, as well. The Anchor Club owner claimed her counterpart saw a tree service on the street and came outside armed. The owner of the arbor service seen on the block added he was asked about the tree previously but had never been enlisted to remove it.

The situation also led to Brooklyn Elementary School and Heart of Brooklyn to enact their secure hold protocols. The district confirmed that it resumed regular procedures after the situation had ended.

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