Police say suspect tried to hang himself in front of young girl
Vincent L. Sievers, 50, Ogdensburg, is charged with causing mental harm to a child, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property as acts of domestic abuse, and misdemeanor bail jumping.
Shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, Waupaca County Deputy Matthew Whitaker was dispatched to a home in Ogdensburg.
A neighbor had called 911 to report that Sievers tried to hang himself.
When Whitaker arrived he saw a white nylon rope hanging from a tree about 10 feet from a picnic table.
According to the criminal complaint, Sievers said he had tried to hang himself due to ongoing marital problems.
Earlier that evening, Sievers and his wife began arguing while they were at a bar.
The argument continued after they came home.
Sievers allegedly broke a garage window with his fist.
He later took a rope from a swing, placed a stepladder under a tree, climbed the ladder, and placed the rope around his neck.
“Vincent explained he was a 50-year-old crack addict, but had been clean for two months,” the complaint says. “Then he went into a story of how he had made a lot of mistakes in life.”
When a pre-teen girl begged Sievers to get down, he told her not to call the police or he would go to jail.
So she ran over to a neighbor’s house, banged on the door and yelled for help.
When the neighbor tried to talk Sievers off the ladder, the girl climbed on top of a large rock and attempted to untie the rope.
Whitaker reported that the girl later hid the ladder and asked officers to cut down the rope so she would not have to look at it.
A social worker told Whitaker that Sievers had placed the girl in a “double bind.”
“She was forced with choosing to watch (Sievers) die or send (him) to jail,” the complaint says.
Sievers was released from custody after posting a $500 cash bond.