Prosecutors: Illinois man punched deputy during arrest for urinating on port-a-potty at Country Thunder



Country Thunder



TWIN LAKES -- A Kenosha County deputy is recovering after getting punched in the face at the Country Thunder music festival. Overall, deputies say citations were down and it was a good year. For one Illinois man, instead of enjoying the music, he spent the weekend in a jail cell.

Country Thunder brings thousands to enjoy some of the biggest names in country music and the party that comes with it.

Ronald Paschel



"They're all drunk. That's really what it is all about. Most of the people are drunk," said Ronald Paschel, lives near Country Thunder.

Deputies say while most stayed well-behaved, that's is not how they're describing Brandon Weber, 25, of Lockport, Illinois.

According to a criminal complaint, a deputy on patrol at the Country Thunder grounds in Twin Lakes on Friday, July 20, around 3:30 p.m., saw Weber urinating on the side of a port-a-potty.



The complaint says Weber "questioned why the deputy needed to speak with him" after he was approached, he was informed that he needed to provide his ID because he committed a crime. While speaking with the deputy, the complaint says Weber "began to look left and right and wouldn't answer questions." At one point, Weber "began to clench his fist and got more agitated." A decision was made to detain him "before he attacked or ran."

Two deputies tried to escort Weber to their vehicle, and one reported "he could feel Weber tense up as he pulled away from deputies." The deputies pinned him up against the vehicle in an attempt to gain control, and the complaint says he "kept trying to turn his body towards deputies with his fist clenched."

Officials say as they tried to restrain Weber, he slugged a deputy "with a closed fist to the left side of his face."

Weber is now facing charges of battery to a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct.

"Any time you have alcohol and young kids, and you have people who have people getting rude or obnoxious, you're going to have incidents where they are going to get pissy,'" said Paschel.

Of the 221 arrests and citations, Weber is among only a small handful that rose to the level of a felony charge at the festival.



Other cases include a suspect caught with a large amount of drugs, another suspect is accused of drunkenly punching a family member.

Those who attend say trouble is rare and they're already counting down the days to next year.

"That's what it's about; drinking, dancing, singing, jumping around," said Paschel. "We love it a lot. It's a good time."

Weber made his initial appearance in court on Monday, July 23. A signature bond was set at $2,500, and a preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 8.

Meanwhile, Kenosha County sheriff's officials released the following statistics regarding the arrests made during the 2018 Country Thunder event, which took place July 19 through July 22: