EAST GORHAM STREET

Death Investigation

A 56-year-old man was pronounced dead on the shoreline of Lake Mendota in the early morning hours of April 1 at James Madison Park, according to a Madison police report.

Police responded to the scene at 1:07 a.m., the report said.

According to Ald. Mike Verveer, police determined the man has been identified and was from West Virginia, and he was traveling through Madison at the time of the incident. Police do not expect foul play, Verveer said, though it is not known if drugs or alcohol were a factor.

He added death by drowning is uncommon in the Madison area.

“We’ve been very fortunate that there have been relatively few accidental drownings in Madison in the lakes,” Verveer said. “With respect to people drinking and then drowning, that sort of thing is not heard of in Madison, maybe due to the proximity of the lakes to bars in relation to other cities.”

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

Arrested Person

A Stoughton man was arrested on theft charges at Wando’s Bar Wednesday night after he attempted to steal bottles of alcohol.

Sequoia Paydon, 24, waited until bartenders had turned their backs before he grabbed four open bottles of alcohol behind the bar. Paydon struggled with Wando’s bouncers until police arrived. He was taken to Dane County Jail and arrested on charges of theft and violation of probation.

Paydon has been convicted in the past for drunk driving, drug possession and obstructing an officer, according to court records.

Verveer praised Wando’s for how they dealt with the situation.

“Wando’s really does an excellent job controlling their establishment,” Verveer said. “Unlike a lot of other bars, they take the position that if they can safely do so, they’re going to hold the defender until the cops get here. A lot of other bars will do everything they can to kick the person out of the street and be done with it. This recent example during spring break is an example of the staff holding the suspect down until police get there.”

STATE STREET

Disorderly Conduct

A Madison man was arrested after he allegedly threatened a woman with a knife on State Street, a police report said.

According to the report, the victim and her friend observed a young man being bothered for money. The victim told the young man to walk away, and he then became upset and verbally assaulted her. The report said the man also threatened that he had a knife and “had someone to take care of her.”

The victim and her friend went into Ragstock to report the incident. Police arrived at the scene and arrested the suspect, who denied having made the threats. The suspect was not cooperative and verbally assaulted officers numerous times, also kicking a police car door, the report said. He was transported to the Dane County Jail and held on charges of disorderly conduct and bail jumping.

The report noted police have had several issues with the suspect in the past. According to court records, he has been convicted of several counts of retail theft and disorderly conduct in the past.