Madison police said Jodi Nelson has had multiple surgeries and "has a long road to recovery."
The Madison Police Department on Monday identified the off-duty officer who was left with life-threatening injuries after a crash in Sun Prairie as Officer Jodi Nelson.
Nelson and her wife, Julie Nelson, were walking on a bike path well off the roadway when they were both struck by one of the two vehicles involved in the Nov. 23 crash on Highway 19 at Whitetail Drive. Julie Nelson, 48, of Sun Prairie, was killed in the crash.
Madison police said Jodi Nelson has had multiple surgeries and “has a long road to recovery.”
Nelson has worked for the Madison Police Department for 14 years in various roles, including as a community outreach officer, as part of the gang unit, as a neighborhood officer and as leader of MPD Pride, an LGBTQ resource group at the department, Madison police said.
“This tragic incident has affected many in our community including Jodi and Julie’s family as well as Jodi’s MPD family,” Madison police said.
The Wisconsin State Patrol and the Sun Prairie Police Department are investigating the crash.
Madison police Officer Jodi Nelson and Ja'Kiya, a third-grader, take part in the Bigs in Blue program with Big Brothers & Big Sisters at Lincoln Elementary School in Madison in 2018.
Wife of Madison officer killed in crash tops recent notable crime news in Madison area
Authorities identify wife of Madison police officer as pedestrian killed in Sun Prairie crash
The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office identified the pedestrian Wednesday as Julie L. Nelson, 48, of Sun Prairie.
Owner of vehicle in hit-and-run that injured 2 pedestrians claims it was stolen, Madison police say
The owner of a vehicle that injured two pedestrians in a hit-and-run on the South Side on Saturday afternoon claims it was stolen, Madison police reported.
The pedestrians, a boyfriend and girlfriend, were in a crosswalk and had a walk light to cross South Park Street at West Washington Avenue shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday when they were struck by a hit-and-run driver in a black Nissan Murano, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said in a statement.
Another inmate dead as COVID-19 cases surpass 8,000 in Wisconsin prison system
Another inmate is dead as COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the Wisconsin prison system, with total cases surpassing 8,000 for the first time Monday.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections reported an additional 512 infections Monday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began up to 8,150 and the active case count up to 2,288.
The total number of COVID-19-related inmate deaths — recorded as prisoner deaths in which a local medical examiner or coroner has confirmed that the virus was an underlying cause of death or a significant condition that contributed to death — now stands at 11, according to DOC.
Man arrested, drugs, 3 handguns, $18K in cash seized in South Side drug raid, Madison police say
A man was arrested and drugs, three handguns, one listed as stolen, and more than $18,000 in cash were seized in a drug raid on the South Side last Tuesday, Madison police reported.
The Dane County Narcotics Task Force, assisted by the Madison police SWAT squad, served the search warrant about 9 a.m. last Tuesday at an apartment in the 2400 block of Allied Drive, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said in an incident report.
Madison police investigating possible stabbing on North Side
Madison police are investigating a possible stabbing on the North Side Tuesday.
A spokesperson with the Dane County 911 Center said the call for the possible stabbing came in at 4:11 p.m. from the Northport Drive area.
Sun Prairie police find shot-up sedan when they respond to shooting report Tuesday night
Sun Prairie police reported finding a shot-up sedan when they responded to a shooting report Tuesday night.
At 6:35 p.m., officers responded to the 800 block of Hunters Trail on a report of multiple shots fired, Lt. Kevin Konopacki said in a statement.
75-year-old woman's car stolen from street as she walks into food pantry to make a donation
A 75-year-old Madison woman's car was stolen from the street outside a food pantry on the Southwest Side Wednesday morning, police said.
The woman left her 2014 Toyota Camry unlocked and running in the street in front of the food pantry on the 1400 block of Prairie Road at around 10:25 a.m., Madison police spokesperson Joel DeSpain said. She was gone for about a minute to make a donation, which was the time it took for the suspect to drive off with her car. Her purse was in the front passenger seat and also stolen.
Janesville man armed with knife arrested after setting residence on fire, police say
A Janesville man who was armed with a knife was arrested after setting his residence on fire on Thanksgiving, police reported.
Shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday, Janesville police were dispatched to 3632 Birdsong Lane on a report of a disturbance, and were told the man was armed with a knife while they were en route, Sgt. Benjamin Thompson said in a statement.
Madison police: Man under the influence breaks into school, defecates on floor
An alarm at Wright Middle School shortly after midnight Saturday reportedly led Madison police to a pants-less, under-the-influence man who had defecated on the floor of the South Side school.
Officers were called to the middle school at 1717 Fish Hatchery Road shortly before 12:15 a.m. for an alarm that went off, police Lt. Kipp Hartman said in a statement, and a security guard had noticed a broken window.
Missouri woman gets 30 months in federal prison in scheme that defrauded Walmart of $860K
A Missouri woman was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in a scheme that defrauded Walmart of more than $860,000, according to U.S. Attorney Scott C. Blader.
Heather Bishop, 31, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley for conspiring with Crystal Austin, Shelly Scott, Jason Edge, and others to commit wire fraud throughout the country. Bishop was ordered to pay restitution to Walmart in an amount to be determined after a hearing on Jan. 11.
Emily Hamer | Wisconsin State Journal
Emily Hamer is a general assignment reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal. She joined the paper in April 2019 and was formerly an investigative reporting intern at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
