Update 5/12/2020: One of the organizers of Saturday’s motorcycle ride is disputing the law enforcement assertion that “seventy to a hundred” motorcyclists gathered in Greenleaf. This article has been updated to include that information.
GREENLEAF, WI (WTAQ) — A massive police presence in the small town of Greenleaf turned heads over the weekend.
Lieutenant Kevin Pawlak with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office says they had recieved a report of a large group of bikers gathering at the Slammer Inn, a local bar, in defiance of Governor Tony Evers’ ‘Safer at Home’ order on Saturday.
“We got a report that there were seventy to a hundred people in the parking lot,” Pawlak told WTAQ. “We did do a drive by and confirm that there were that many in the parking lot, so the shift commander decided to rally as many of the available officers as he could.”
However, when law enforcement actually arrived at the bar from as far as Ashwaubenon and De Pere, the group apparently had already left.
“By the time they got that presence available that large group had all left except for like, four motorcycles and the bar owner,” Pawlak said Monday. “We went there and made contact. Everybody was cooperative.”
Over 20 squad cars responded.
“I can understand it appeared to be overkill, but based on the information at the time the Sheriff was okay with that decision,” said Pawlak.
One of the organizers of that motorcycle ride, Michael Karnes, disputed law enforcement’s claim on Tuesday, saying there were never more than 15 motorcyclists involved in the ride.
Images and videos of the large group of police went viral on social media. The bar was not open to the public.
