HIGHWAY 51 AND PFLAUM ROAD
Overdose

A young woman was cited with her second offense of operating while under the influence Tuesday afternoon when she fell unconscious at a stop light and, upon waking, accelerated into an intersection and hit a traffic pole.

According to a Madison police report, 26-year-old Amanda Sainsbury of Cottage Grove was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries. Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said Sainsbury admitted to using heroin prior to her accident.

DeSpain said Sainsbury has made attempts to recover from a heroin addiction, similar to other drug addicts he has spoken with in connection to incidents with MPD.

“A lot of these people involved in overdoses really want to get out of this addiction, but it’s sometimes hard for them to get the assistance they need,” DeSpain said. “This is not an epidemic that the police department can handle alone. It will be community-wide, and we all need to come together to address it.”

EAST DAYTON STREET
Battery

A young man was punched in the face by a stranger as he walked down East Dayton Street Friday afternoon, a Madison police report said.

The 28-year-old man suffered a bloody nose and a swollen eye, and his $400 glasses were broken. The suspect has not been identified and is still at large.

EAST WASHINGTON AVENUE
Robbery

A woman exiting her car outside of an east side Walgreens was robbed Saturday evening, according to a Madison police report.

The suspect pushed the 51-year-old woman and grabbed her purse, which contained money and some personal items. The woman and a male onlooker attempted to chase the subject down but failed.

DeSpain said the suspect has not been identified and is still at large. The woman was shaken from the incident, but she was not hurt.

“To be not only robbed but grabbed [by a stranger,] it’s a very terrifying thing for people,” DeSpain said. “It really violates your feeling of being safe and secure.”

WEST TOWNE MALL
Battery

Shoplifters attempting to flee a Sears store at West Towne Mall hit a security officer in the face on Monday, an MPD report said.

Police arrested a 17-year-old suspect on charges of battery and retail theft after she and a 15-year-old male ran from the store. Both suspects were arrested near the intersection of South Gammon Road and Seybold Road. DeSpain said shoplifters often turn to violence, increasing the counts against them.

“We’ve seen several of these types of cases with shoplifters who’ve turned violent to bystanders and officers,” DeSpain said. “It becomes more than just a retail theft; it becomes battery.”

DeSpain said the 31-year-old female security officer was not seriously hurt.

LILAC LANE
Missing Juvenile

A 14-year-old boy who left his home after school Monday afternoon went missing for several hours. DeSpain said although there was no reason to believe the boy was in serious danger, he needed to take medication to control potential seizures.

The boy was found later that day. Ald. Brian Solomon, District 10, said efforts by the MPD and neighbors were effective in helping to locate him.

“There was a great coordinate effort between neighbors and police, and everyone worked together well to find him,” Solomon said.