Posted: 8/16/05
Paintball gun threat leads to felony charges
Tiffany Meiners, 21, Caledonia, was charged with four felony counts of terroristic threats on August 9.
Meiners is accused of threatening her ex-boyfriend, Janse Bjergum, the day before with a paintball gun that he and authorities mistook for a real hand gun.
Meiners bought the paintball gun at a sporting goods store in La Crosse earlier that day, according to statements her girlfriend gave police.
The complaint states that Meiners then went to the manís house with the gun in her hand, and said, ìIíll shoot you with it.î,î as she attempted to retrieve some things of hers that she thought he had. The gunís shape was consistent with a semi-automatic pistol, the complaint states.
When Meiners left the house, her boyfriend locked the door. Police Chief Paul Folz and officer Linda Coffield had been alerted by two 9-1-1 calls. Folz ordered Meiners to drop the gun, which she did ìafter a number of verbal commands,î the report states.
Two of the terroristic threat charges are Level IV, which carry maximum sentences of five years in jail and $10,000 fines. The other two are Level I, which have one year and $3,000 maximum penalties.
Meiners is out of jail on $7,500 conditional bail. Her next court appearance, a Rule 8 hearing, is August 29 at 2:30 p.m. in Third District Court in Caledonia.
Bublitz charges dismissed
Disorderly conduct and fifth degree assault against Mitchell Milton Bublitz, 52, Houston, were dismissed on July 21.
A jury trial for Bublitz had been set for August 8.
The complaint claimed that on March 18, Bublitz pushed the nose of City of Houston snow plow driver Barry Kurtz, threw snow in Kurtzís face and swore at him because he was upset with the plowing job that Kurtz had done.
The disorderly conduct charges stem from an incident four days later in the Houston City Hall between Bublitz, city administrator Larry Jerviss, and city maintenance supervisor Robert Borowiak.
Attorney Jed Hammell, representing the City of Houston, said on August 11 that the charges were dismissed as part of an overll agreement on a couple different matters, including some restraining orders. He said he could not go into further detail.
Caledonia Argus
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