Crime

Suspects arrested in rural Westby vandalism case

Published

2 years ago

March 3, 2021

The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office arrested three individuals they believe were involved with damaging an AT&T building in the Town of Coon.

An AT&T employee called the sheriff’s office Tuesday around 12:02 a.m. to report entry and vandalism to the communications facility along Hwy. 14 in rural Westby.

The first deputy sheriff who arrived on the scene saw the fence was damaged and found two men inside the fenced-in area. Both were arrested. The men were Benjamin Lee Britt, 47, and Jesse James Britt, 46, from Viroqua.

The sheriff’s office said tools used for the burglary were recovered at the scene. As the investigation continued through the day, officers arrested Shaila Kay Davis, 49, of Frazee, Minn. They also impounded a red 2002 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with an Iowa license plate.

Sheriff John Spears said evidence found March 2 was consistent with a similar incident at the same AT&T facility that was reported Feb. 16.

The case is still under investigation. Spears asks anything with information to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 608-637-2123, email [email protected], or contact another local law enforcement agency. Anonymous tips can also be sent to www.p3tips.com.

Kaitlyn Riley

Kaitlyn Riley’s passion for communications started on her family’s dairy farm in Gays Mills, Wis. Wanting to share agriculture’s story, she studied strategic communications and broadcast journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In college, she held officer positions with the Association of Women in Agriculture and Badger Dairy Club while volunteering as a news reporter for the college radio station. She also founded the university’s first agricultural radio talk show, AgChat. In her professional career, Kaitlyn has worked in radio, print and television news doing everything from covering local events to interviewing presidential candidates, and putting back on her barn boots to chat with farmers in the field. Today, Kaitlyn can be seen covering local stories that matter to you in the La Crosse area.