Crime Spree

This is the kind of serious, hardened criminals we have in the lovely Northwoods of Wisconsin.

by Cara Spoto • Journal staff • April 23, 2010

A 41-year-old Plover woman is in Portage County
Jail after a blow darting spree in downtown Stevens
Point Wednesday night.

Paula Wolf was arrested at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday,
less than an hour after four pedestrians told police
they were shot with blow darts that came from a van
she was driving.

Police received its first report at 9 p.m. from a 25-
year-old Stevens Point woman who said she was
walking in the 800 block of Crosby Avenue near
Pfiffner Pioneer Park when she felt a dart hit her
chest. A second victim, a 21-year-old Stevens Point
man, said he was walking past Mead Park at 9:13 p.
m. when he saw a van come up from behind and
then felt a dart in his chest. Another victim, a 42-
year-old Mosinee man, was walking in the 1300
block of Church Street when he felt a dart strike him
in the back. A fourth victim was standing outside
1140 Main Street at 9:30 p.m. smoking a cigarette
when a black minivan with what appeared to be a
pipe sticking out the window pulled up. The victim
said she felt the dart hit her, but it did not puncture
her skin because she was wearing several layers of
clothing.

Police pulled Wolf over at the corner of Second and
Main streets at 9:30 p.m. after getting her license
plate number from a victim. When they approached
her van, they found a blow gun, a slingshot and a
small bucket of rocks sitting on the floor of the
passenger side.

Police said Wolf denied any wrongdoing but
eventually admitted to shooting the pedestrians,
none of whom were seriously injured, telling an
officer "she liked to hear people say 'ouch'" when
she hit them. She also admitted to shooting at a 22-
year-old man April 16, police said.

Wolf said that she was trying to strike a group of
people who were smoking outside 956 Main St.
when the dart hit a window on the door of the
business and broke the glass.

She also admitted to unsuccessfully breaking the
windows of a Portage County squad car Wednesday
by shooting rocks at the car with her slingshot,
police said.

Wolf has been charged with first-degree recklessly
endangering safety.

Stevens Point Police Lt. Jim Dowling said the
department has dealt with Wolf in the past on
incidents ranging from forgery and fraud to
disorderly conduct.