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Bail set for Marinette County manhunt suspects

Complaint: suspects were dating, living together
Posted at 10:45 AM, Apr 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-16 01:46:05-04

Bail was set at $1 million cash for the man accused of starting a manhunt in Marinette County over the weekend, and $250,000 cash for his alleged girlfriend who helped him.

Chad Setunsky and Ashley Niewierowski, both 27, face five charges for allegedly burglarizing a gas station, leading police on a chase, and fleeing on foot.

Both face charges of Burglary of Building or Dwelling, Theft of Moveable Property less than $2500, Criminal Damage to Property, Vehicle Operator Fleeing/Eluding Officer, and First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety.

The two cannot have any contact with each other, consume alcohol, or posses a gun.

According to the criminal complaint filed Monday, Setunsky and Niewierowski were dating, and living together in Marinette with Niewierowski's mother and children.

"We had 24 people from this agency working in some capacity in this investigation," says Sheriff Jerry Sauve on Monday, after admitting he and his team were still running largely on adrenaline and lack of sleep. 

As the suspects wait behind bars at the Marinette County Jail, awaiting their initial court appearance, Sauve says he's thankful the ending wasn't tragic.

"You know, we had a lot of concern that something bad was going to happen here," admits Sauve. "There were a lot of people up at their seasonal places, opening them up for the year, and going up to check on them. There was a lot of people out moving around, and we were warning people all the time." 

Around 3:43 a.m. Saturday, Marinette County Sheriff's deputies discovered someone had broken into the Corner Convenience store in the Town of Stephenson and stolen an ATM machine, according to the criminal complaint. 

Shortly after, a Sergeant attempted to pull over two vehicles speeding on Parkway Road, the complaint said. The officer said the driver of one of the vehicles, a pickup truck, fired a hand gun twice at his car before driving off the road and crashing into a pole, according to court documents.

Two people exited the truck and ran into the woods, deputies said. The sheriff's office found a crow bar, sledge hammer, and parts of of the stolen ATM machine inside the truck, the complaint said. The ATM was later found with the money removed. 

Deputies also reviewed security footage from the convenience store and saw a man and woman break in using a crowbar and take the ATM, according to the complaint. The man and woman in the video matched the descriptions of Setunsky and Niewierowski.

The two were eventually taken into custody after a two-day manhunt.

They will be back in court April 17.