Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Brookfield Woman Cited in Dispute with Recall Petitioner

The woman allegedly grabbed and pushed the same Recall Gov. Scott Walker petitioner whose camera was grabbed in another disorderly conduct case last month.

Editor's note: This story was updated 8:20 p.m. Jan. 9 to include comments from recall petitioner and at 9:27 p.m. to add information from Fox6now.com.

A Brookfield woman was cited for disorderly conduct Saturday after she allegedly grabbed and pushed the same Recall Walker petitioner whose camera was grabbed in another disorderly conduct case last month, police say.

The petitioner, Waukesha resident Steve Nagel, says he did nothing to inflame Walker supporters in either incident, other than to pull out his camera and videotape them when he thought they were going to create trouble.

Find out what's happening in Brookfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I was trying to avoid this lady," Nagel told Brookfield Patch, but added: "She came up and hit me. She hit me right in the arm."

"That's crossing the line," he said. "I'm not there to argue or demonstrate. We're just out there to gather signatures."

Find out what's happening in Brookfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The woman, Linda Lorino, 47, was issued a non-criminal municipal citation for disorderly conduct, a ticket that carries a maximum $492 forfeiture. No one was at her home Monday afternoon and Patch could not reach her for comment.

But Lorino told Fox6 reporter Jeremy Ross that she didn't hit him but she regretted her actions and wanted to apologize to Nagel.

"I am five foot two, 118 pounds. I like, moved his arm away. It would be like brushing a bug out of your face," Lorino said in the Fox6now.com story. "I apologize to the gentleman if it caused him any embarrassment. I'm embarrassed."

Twice in the last month, Nagel has told police he has been harassed while collecting signatures to on sidewalks along busy Bluemound Road in Brookfield.

Saturday's incident occurred about 1:40 p.m. north of Qdoba restaurant, 16005 W. Bluemound Rd. A month ago, a Brookfield man was for allegedly grabbing Nagel's camera before giving it back Dec. 10 outside the Brookfield Fashion Center, 17000 W. Bluemound Rd.

Steve Spierkerman, also of Waukesha, was volunteering with Nagel both times, although he arrived shortly after Saturday's incident occurred.

"It seems to me that the people who come up to us and take our picture, they think that's perfectly all right," Spierkerman told Brookfield Patch. "But if we take their picture, they get angry."

According to the latest police reports:

Lorino was accused of approaching Nagel who was videotaping her, yelling at him, grabbing his arm and pushing him against a car as another person was signing the petition to recall Walker.

Lorino left in her car and recall petitioners gave police the license plate number. Police Capt. Jim Adlam said she was cooperative when interviewed.

Nagel gave this account:

He said Lorino was talking with another Walker supporter who was walking with a pro-Walker sign on the sidewalks near the recall petitioners.

Nagel said he pulled his camera out and began videotaping Lorino after she had been "very, very loud" and charged toward him, going up and down the hill as a citizen was signing the petition in her car in the parking lot.

Lorino went to get her camera from her car and walked toward Nagel saying, "Let's get a camera picture together. We'll get a picture together."

But when she approached Nagel to take a photo, she saw he was videotaping her and Nagel said she grabbed and pushed his arm, jostling his video image. He was standing by the car.

According to a video Nagel showed Brookfield Patch, Lorino said,  "Don't videotape me. You can't videotape me."

"Could you call the police, please," Nagel said. "You just put your hands on me."

"I did," she said. "You can't videotape me without my permission. What is wrong with you?"

Nagel then filmed her license plate number, and she took a photo of the license plate of the 77-year-old woman signing the petition in her car. That woman objected strongly, and Lorino apologized profusely and deleted the photo when she realized the woman in the car was not a petition volunteer but a citizen signing it.

The 77-year-old woman alerted Nagel that his petition papers were flying away and he went to grab them, as did Spieckerman, who walked up at that time.

Nagel told Spieckerman: "She just grabbed me by the arm. Call the police, she just grabbed me by the arm, I got it on video."

Both Waukesha men said the collection of recall petitions is wrapping up. Nagel said he was likely done collecting signatures; Spieckerman said he wanted to keep collecting until Saturday, three days before the Jan. 17 deadline to file them. The Waukesha recall office is closing Friday, he said.

Spieckerman said he planned to return to Bluemound Road in Brookfield, a GOP stronghold where voters overwhelmingly supported Walker, because that road is a major corridor with traffic from many communities.

He said at its peak petition volunteers were getting 60 to 80 signatures a day in Brookfield and "over 100 signatures on weekends."

"This isn't going to deter me at all," Spieckerman said. "I want to see the recall go through. I believe that we're doing the right thing."


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