DODGE COUNTY, Wis. – Gary Day, the man accused of kidnapping a pregnant teen from Beaver Dam, pleaded not guilty in Dodge County court on Tuesday, July 15 to two counts of abduction and two counts of child enticement. 

Amber Alert

What we know:

Prosecutors charged 40-year-old Gary Day with abducting the teen, which prompted an Amber Alert in multiple states that lasted for months. Court filings said Day is the father of the teen’s unborn child.

The search for the teen stretched across state lines. She was eventually found at a Nebraska gas station on her 17th birthday in April.

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Prosecutors said Day was already under investigation for crimes against children at the time of the kidnapping. In a court appearance in May, Day’s attorney argued the state did not establish probable cause for charges against him. The judge ruled otherwise. 

What’s next:

Day is due back in court for a scheduling conference on Oct. 7. 

COMSTOCK, Wis. (FOX 9) – The victim of the bear attack in Barron County, Wisconsin, is now in stable condition, but the bear involved is still at large. 

Wisconsin bear attack victim update

What we know:

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), identified the victim in the bear attack as 69-year-old Karen Frye. 

She was attacked outside her rural home near Comstock, Wisconsin, and she was taken to the hospital after suffering severe injuries. Frye is now recovering and in stable condition. 

Aggressive behavior by the black bear

What they’re saying:

The DNR says early information shows that the bear involved showed a “sustained series of aggressive behaviors towards the victim.” 

Black bears can be defensive when surprised, cornered or to protect their food or cubs, but aggressive behavior is rare, officials said. 

The DNR says that aggressive behavior in black bears is a sign they will repeat the behavior, so officials plan to humanely euthanize the bear involved once captured. 

“Humane euthanasia is not always the standard practice in human/bear conflicts. Our actions in these types of situations are very carefully determined based upon the totality of the known evidence of each event,” said Randy Johnson, DNR large carnivore specialist. “Although we’re still working to piece together every element of what transpired in this incident, we know enough to warrant attempting to livetrap at the location of the incident and humanely euthanize this bear if captured.”

Attempting to capture the bear

Dig deeper:

The DNR has placed several bear traps at the scene to live capture it. The bear and its cub had not been found as of Monday afternoon. 

Once the bear is captured, it will be tested for rabies after it is euthanized. If the cub is captured, it will be relocated and released in the wild, as it is old enough to survive on its own in the wild without human intervention, the DNR said. 

Any other bears captured will be released unharmed, the DNR said. 

Wisconsin bear attack

The backstory:

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the attack was reported around 2 p.m. on Saturday near the town of Comstock, in Barron County. 

Several law enforcement agencies, including local DNR wardens and staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) responded to the incident. While searching for the bear, they reportedly found a cub in a tree, indicating the incident could have involved a sow and cub. 

COMSTOCK, Wis. (FOX 9) – A 69-year-old woman was transported to the hospital on Saturday after being attacked by a black bear in Barron County, Wisconsin. While details about the incident are limited, bear experts say black bear attacks are extremely rare.

Questions remain following bear attack

The backstory:

The victim called 911 around 2 p.m. Saturday to report that she had been attacked by a bear. The Barron County Sheriff, along with the Wisconsin DNR and USDA Wildlife Services responded to the scene. Officials say while they were unable to locate the bear, they did find a cub in a tree indicating that the incident involved a sow and a cub.

What bear experts are saying:

Lynn Rogers with the Wildlife Research Institute says in his 57 years working with black bears in northern Minnesota, he’s found bear attacks to be extremely rare. “I’ve done everything possible to cause attacks and I can’t get them to do it,” he said.

Research published by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2021 found that most non-fatal black bear attacks were defensive reactions by female bears with young that often involved a dog and resulted in minor bodily damage.

That same research study said there were only four non-fatal black bear attacks in Wisconsin between 2000 and 2017.

What happened to the bear:

Wildlife officials said they have yet to locate the bear, but have placed traps near where the incident occurred.

In a statement, the Wisconsin DNR said if the animal is captured they plan to euthanize it.