BENNINGTON – Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies made an arrest in a series of mysterious traffic incidents on Highway 36 last year.
First Alert 6 was on scene Monday as deputies brought 23-year-old Spencer Rademacker to the station. He is charged with attempted first-degree assault and felony criminal mischief.
The arrest comes nearly three months after DCSO investigators served a search warrant at the home of someone referred to as “a person of interest.” First Alert 6 Investigates was also present and later confirmed that the person was Rademacker. He sat in a detective’s car during the search and was allowed back into his home after about two hours.
There was no arrest at that time.
Deputies are investigating at least four incidents in which drivers hit or swerved to miss large objects left on Highway 36 at night, ranging from a coffee table to a chair and even a child’s bicycle.
In one case, a young married couple escaped with their lives after spotting what they thought was a television in the middle of Highway 36 on a dark December night. Their vehicle crashed through a wire guardrail and slid into a ravine.
They reported to First Alert 6 that they saw a man standing on the shoulder right after the crash. Sheriff Aaron Hanson claims that Rademacker intentionally placed the object in the highway.
“As a result, he was able to see first responders responding and respond as a helper.” However, in the worst-case scenario, someone could have been seriously injured or killed, according to Hanson.
First Alert 6 investigators discovered two other drivers who had struck objects placed on the same highway. The damage to their vehicles was less severe. To hear their story, tune in to First Alert Live at 10.
There have been other twists and turns in the story. Days after First Alert 6 published a follow-up story featuring crash victims, someone called into the newsroom pretending to be one of them and asked that the story be removed from FirstAlert6.com.