Craig Buford (Brown Co. Jail)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Craig Buford pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges related to a confrontation which led to police firing shots at his vehicle, prompting the cancellation of a farmer’s market.
A Feb. 3 trial date was set, court records show.
Buford, 61, faces five counts, including recklessly endangering safety and eluding an officer for the Sept. 12 incident.
The incident started when Buford allegedly blocked in another vehicle in a parking lot and a confrontation followed, according to the criminal complaint.
Craig blocked in another vehicle while not stopped in a parking stall. After being confronted by the occupants of the vehicle, Craig drove the vehicle forward, making contact with the knees of a female. Craig then backed up, turned his vehicle to the left and drove forward, squealing his tires and accelerating west through the parking lot. Officer Loberger, who was already on scene assisting with another disturbance, heard the commotion and ran over to investigate and to get Craig to stop driving the vehicle. Officer Loberger, who was in full police uniform, yelled for Craig to stop; however, he refused to stop and continued to drive forward, prompting Officer Loberger to quickly move out of the way.
Officer Loberger was in fear of her safety and believed she could have been severely injured by the vehicle had she not moved out of the way. As Officer Loberger moved out of the way, she hit the driver’s side mirror or front windshield of the vehicle with her hand. Craig continued driving through the lot at what Officer Andersen described to me as a higher rate of speed than what would have been safe for the number of pedestrians in the parking lot.
Numerous other officers, all in uniform, ran toward the vehicle that Craig was driving. The officers yelled and used flashlights pointed at the vehicle in an attempt to get him to stop, but Craig continued to drive. Craig continued to drive northwest through the parking lot, and almost struck Officer Lannoye, who was west of the vehicle, facing Craig’s direction as he drove toward him. Officer Lannoye had to quickly move out of the way as Officer Lannoye feared he was going to be struck by the vehicle.
As Craig drove over the sidewalk, [that officer], who had positioned himself just off the sidewalk on the southeast corner of the intersection of Doty Street/Washington Street, stopped and drew his duty firearm, pointed it as the vehicle and ordered Craig to stop the vehicle. Craig again refused to stop the vehicle, and accelerated forward, squealing his tires and drove forward toward the area where [that officer] was standing. [The officer] had to quickly move backward in order to avoid being struck by the vehicle Craig was driving. [The officer] was in fear that he would have been severely injured had he not moved. [Another officer] discharged his duty firearm four times, striking the vehicle multiple times. Despite this, Craig refused to stop and continued to drive away, going northbound on S. Washington Street,” the complaint states.
Buford was eventually stopped near Cherry and Monroe streets.
“Officer Wicklund noted he could see bullet holes in the vehicle he performed a PIT maneuver on,” the complaint says.
Field sobriety tests were not done. A blood draw was taken but no results are cited in the complaint.
Buford declined to answer questions, the complaint states.
Due to the investigation, the Saturday farmer’s market along Washington Street was canceled.
Saturday Farmer’s Market in downtown Green Bay sees thousands of visitors and over a hundred vendors.
Comments