Officials arrest missing man suspected of spraying deputy with pepper spray

News Release

May 15, 2019

On May 15, 2019, Joshua A. Martin, age 30, was taken into custody after fleeing officers in Sauk County.  Martin is suspected of using pepper spray on a Columbia County Deputy during a traffic stop in the early morning hours of May 12, 2019.

 On today’s date the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 3:00 AM that there was a suspicious person laying on the porch of a residence in the Town Of Merrimac. This person turned out to be Martin.  Prior to officers arriving at the residence, Martin stole a vehicle from the homeowners.  The vehicle and Martin were located parked on a dead end street near Lake Wisconsin.  As officers approached the vehicle, Martin took off, driving off road.  Officers pursued the vehicle into Sauk City.  Martin was driving at a high rate of speed and cutting through yards. The pursuit was terminated due to the danger it presented to the public.  A short time later, the stolen vehicle was found abandoned in an alley in Sauk City.  Several officers along with K-9’s and Drones began a ground search for Martin.  Martin was located in a pop-up camper in the area where he abandoned the vehicle.

Martin remains in the custody of the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office.  Several charges are pending in Sauk County was well as other jurisdictions.

The Sauk Prairie Police Department, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, Middleton Police Department, and the Wisconsin State Patrol assisted the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Chip Meister