More coverage for Birnamwood, Mattoon and Wittenberg

Deputy Chernetski will attend village board meetings
By: 
Miriam Nelson
News Editor

Deputy Eric Chernetski of the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department introduced himself at the Village of Wittenberg board meeting Sept. 15 and explained that in the future, he will be attending board meetings in Wittenberg, Birnamwood and Mattoon.

Chernetski recently moved to the Village of Birnamwood and was looking for a way to bring more attention what he sees as an under-served area by law enforcement. The western edge of the county — Mattoon to Marion — can almost seem like its own county, Chernetski said.

“It’s an official capacity for the sheriff’s’s department. I went to the bosses and got it approved,” said Chernetski.

Chernetski will be switching his schedule to accommodate going to the meetings. Normally he works 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but on days when he’s attending board meetings, he’ll adjust his schedule accordingly. The plan is to attend one meeting per month between the three villages. His goal is to be aware of plans and concerns of the villages and to serve as a resource for questions from the boards and residents attending the meetings.

After taking a couple of years off from law enforcement, Chernetski joined the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department on May 11. He had served at the Langlade County Sheriff’s Office from 2006-2017, and feels he gained valuable experience in dealing with a variety of situations — including drug trafficking and abuse.

With the ongoing pandemic, Chernetski takes the extra precautions of wearing a mask and frequent hand washing, but he doesn’t consider it to be an extra worry.

“For me, I deal with so many people with viruses and diseases that COVID-19 is just another one added to the list,” said Chernetski.

With a 14-year-old stepson who attends Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School and a 10-year-old stepson attending the Birnamwood Elementary/Middle School, being a part of the community he serves is important to Chernetski.

Chernetski feels this area will now have more of a presence in the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department with this new addition of duties and with Deputy Matt Higgins and School Resource Officer Dan Weisensel living in the Wittenberg area.

Residents are encouraged to attend village board meetings. Birnamwood meets at the Matsche Center, 362 Railroad St., at 7 p.m. on second and fourth Monday of each month, Mattoon meets at the Village Hall, 310 Slate Ave., at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month, and Wittenberg meets at the Community Center, 208 W. Vinal St., at 6 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month,