Man charged in fatal shooting of Wisconsin sheriff's deputy

MADISON, Wis. – A suspect is charged with killing a western Wisconsin sheriff's deputy in October and endangering the safety of several other officers as they were arresting him.

According to the criminal complaint filed Friday, Doug Nitek fatally shot Rusk County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Glaze the night of Oct. 29 after Glaze drove his squad car near Nitek's vehicle to investigate why the vehicle was parked in the middle of a field in the Town of Willard. Glaze died of a gunshot wound to the head after a bullet struck his windshield.

The complaint also alleges Nitek, 44, fired a rifle toward an armored vehicle and could have killed a deputy and harmed other officials inside the vehicle. A robot was used to search his house before he surrendered. Officers then searched the trailer where he was living and found fresh bullet holes in the back. Inside the trailer they found a police scanner, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and a marijuana cigarette.

The 31-count complaint includes one charge of first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and 17 counts of recklessly endangering safety while armed with a dangerous weapon. Nitek, who is being held in Dodge Correctional Institution, does not have a defense lawyer listed yet.

Charges against Nitek date back to the 1990s with the more recent crimes of recklessly endangering safety, criminal damage to property and resisting arrest filed in nearby Sawyer County in July, according to court records. More than a dozen convictions include disorderly conduct, fleeing from officers, fourth-degree sexual assault and numerous drunken driving counts.

Glaze had worked with the sheriff's office for 1½ years and previously worked for six years with the Hayward Police Department.

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This story corrects sequence of events leading to suspect's arrest.