VILLAGE TO PAY $700,000 SETTLEMENT

The Village of West Milwaukee has agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a
lawsuit filed by a 20-year-old woman who was shot after a tactical unit
burst into her home looking for drugs.

The woman, Jacqueline Paasch, who now lives on Milwaukee's northwest side,
said the wound through her left calf has limited the use of her toes and
requires her to wear a brace on long walks. Although officials admitted no
fault in reaching the settlement, "in a way I feel like they are
apologizing" by making the payment, she said.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and
drug paraphernalia in the raid, but no charges were ever filed.

West Milwaukee police obtained a search warrant after receiving an
anonymous tip about possible drug activity at a home in the 1700 block of
S. 54th St., and then finding marijuana seeds in a garbage receptacle near
the home. No warrant is needed for a garbage search.

West Milwaukee police asked the tactical unit of the Milwaukee County
Sheriff's Department to conduct the search, which was done about 6:30 a.m.
on April 7, 2000. Deputy Scott Mathis shot Paasch in a second-floor bedroom.

Paasch said in an interview that she was getting out of bed after hearing a
commotion in the stairway when she was shot.

Paasch's attorney, Mark Thomsen, said the settlement "reflects the reality
that the county could not reasonably justify the shooting."

Mathis said he fired the shot because he believed Paasch had a weapon and
felt he was in imminent danger, though no weapon was found, according to
attorney Gregg Heidenreich.

Heidenreich represented the village and the county in the Milwaukee County
Circuit Court lawsuit. He said the village was paying the settlement, using
insurance coverage, because the deputy was in effect acting as a village
employee during the raid. Heidenreich said the district attorney's office
ruled the shooting was justified and he noted that no disciplinary action
was taken against the deputy.