Pierce Don Lee Folkerts. PC: Outagamie County Sheriff's Office
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A man shot by Grand Chute police during an arrest attempt after he refused to drop what turned out to be a replica handgun was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison.
Pierce Folkerts, 35, was previously convicted of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, failure to comply with an order to be taken into custody, and possession of narcotic drugs for the Aug. 1, 2023 incident.
He was also placed on extended supervision for seven years by Judge Mark McGinnis, according to a court official.
Folkerts was spotted near an apartment complex in the area of W. Spencer Street and S. Bluemound Drive in Grand Chute. When an officer approached Folkerts, he ran off. Based on witness statements, surveillance video and police radio traffic, investigators say Folkerts pulled out a gun. He ignored commands to drop the gun, investigators say. At that point, Lt. Russ Blahnik of the Grand Chute Police Department shot Folkerts.
Folkerts was hit in the lower leg by two bullets. Officers gave him medical aid on the scene before he was taken to the hospital.
A replica handgun was found in the vestibule area of the building where Folkerts was shot. Investigators say they did not realize the gun was not real until they got a closer look at it.
At the time, Folkerts was wanted on a Brown County warrant for burglary and other charges.
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