Manitowoc Herald-Times from Manitowoc, Wisconsin • 5

HERALD TIMES REPORTER www.htrnews.com Wednesday, November 9, 2005A5 SAWMILL I4t vs '4 Members of the media crowd the Mishicot Fire Department on Tuesday at a press conference regarding the investigation into the disappearance of Teresa Halbach. The case is attracting national attention. Tim SwobodaHTR AjLSm logs, which can be attached to the outside andor inside of a conventional frame home. That option offers flexibility of design and is energy efficient, according to Koepsell. The cost of a log home, whether made with full- or half-logs, is about 25 percent higher than that of a custom-built conventional house, she said.

Purchasing a log home is not a spur-of-the-moment decision for most buyers. "People dream about this, some of them for 20 years," Koepsell said. Most people want to recreate experiences from their past, she said. Perhaps they remember vacationing in a log cabin when they were kids, or they remember the aroma as they watched a grandparent work with wood. People who own log homes feel a certain connection to each other, according to Koepsell, and many carry pictures of their home in their wallets like others do carry pictures of children and grandchildren.

She recently returned from two weeks of visiting customers' homes around the United States. As she accompanied photographers who were taking pictures of the homes for national magazines, she heard heartwarming stories from the homeowners about realizing their dream of living in a log home, she said. For Garcia, it's working with the wood that is his passion. "I just can't envision myself doing anything else," he said. "Cut me and I ooze sap, I don't bleed." The company sells its byproducts, such as sawdust and wood chips, and gives away cutoffs leftover chunks of wood to anyone who wants to come and get them.

"We have a lot of local people that come and buy," Koepsell said. Anyone who would like some of the by-products may stop at the mill, 17765 W. Washington Road, during its hours of operation, which are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FromAI There are no plans for expansion of the mill yet, but the company does have plans for its headquarters in Oostburg. A new office building and a model log home will be constructed in a business park along Interstate 43 in 2007. Koepsell handles the business side of the company and public relations, Grimes oversees the sales staff and Garcia runs the mill. They started with one employee and now have 24, Koepsell said. They also have about 30 manufacturer's representatives around the country log home owners and enthusiasts who represent the company at home shows and in other ways.

Expedition Log Homes produces materials for approximately 45 log homes each year. Some customers purchase the logs only, but most go with a package that includes the design and all of the materials needed for the shell of the home, such as doors, windows and insulation, as well as the logs, according to Koepsell. The company uses pine and cedar logs, most of which are from managed forests in Wisconsin, Garcia said. "Our logs are all hard logs," Koepsell said. That means they contain the "heart" of the log, which is the strongest part, she said.

They're also hand-peeled using a draw knife, which is the process that gives the log its texture and character. There are other manufacturers that use shapers to make round logs out of square lumber and use a machine to replicate the look of hand-peeling, according to the cc-owners of Expedition Log Homes. With hand-peeling, the pattern on each log is unique, Koepsell said. "There's a lot of character," she said. The company also sells half- i January 1985 incident when he ran the wife of a deputy sheriff off the road at gunpoint and told her to get in his car.

He confessed and was convicted of endangering her safety. Other convictions include two counts of burglary in 1981, for which he received five years probation, and setting a cat on fire in 1982. Earlier this year he was found guilty of disorderly conduct and ordered to pay a fine. The Calumet County Sheriff's Department, the lead law enforcement agency in the investigation, is being assisted by the Manitowoc County, Winnebago County and Marinette County sheriffs departments, the state Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, the state crime lab, Wisconsin State Patrol, area fire departments and K-9 units. Several friends and relatives of Halbach have assisted on foot.

Mike Halbach said he was pleased to hear Pagel say at a press conference Tuesday that he was still optimistic, and would not assume that Teresa is dead. "Which is good news for us, but at the same time it's starting to move in that direction," Mike Halbach told the Post-Crescent. "The family wants to find Teresa whether she is alive or not. We hope she is alive, but we want to find her either way." Amy Weaver: 920-686-2968 or aweaverhtmem.com FromAI and sexual assault in 1985 before DNA evidence exonerated him. He lives and works at the salvage yard.

Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz confirmed Tuesday a warrant was issued Sunday to search the vehicles for Halbach, her clothing, her camera equipment, forensic evidence such as blood and semen, and weapons, including a gun, knife or rope. "The search warrant requires us to choose from a plethora of criminal choices, and the circumstances surrounding this include a homicide, kidnapping and sexual assault," Kratz told the Apple-ton Post-Crescent on Tuesday. "The circumstances surrounding the missing person suggested one or more of those crimes." Teresa Halbach's brother, Mike Halbach, told the Post-Crescent on Tuesday night that his family hadn't been told about specific searches and types of crimes law enforcement officers suspect, but said it doesn't come as a surprise. "We didn't really want to hear that," he said. "Was it one of a number of possibilities that we ran through our mind? Sure." The search warrant for the vehicles was one of an unspecified number issued in the case, according to Kratz.

"Evidence we feel is significant to the investigation has been discovered in the execution of search warrants," Calumet County Sheriff Jerry Pagel said. He would not disclose what the evidence was or where it was found. "The scope of the investigation has gone from that of a missing person to that of being concerned for the welfare of Teresa Halbach," Pagel said. The 40-acre salvage yard has been at the center of the investigation since volunteer searchers spotted Halbach's SUV on Saturday in a gravel pit on the property. Members of the Avery family had left that morning for the Crivitz area.

Only law enforcement personnel and agencies assisting them have been allowed on the land since a warrant was executed Saturday. The section of Highway 147 by Avery Road where the business and dwellings are located remained blockaded Tuesday. Pagel said 60 troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol have It's never too late in "The scope of the investigation has gone from that of a missing person to that of being concerned for the welfare of Teresa Halbach." Calumet County Sheriff Jerry Pagel which is adjacent to Avery's. "I'm not allowed in my house, and my sister isn't either," Avery said. "I don't know how long this will go on." Avery drove from Crivitz to Manitowoc County in a car borrowed from a friend.

He indicated he might spend the night in the vehicle. "I just want to be by myself and think about this and rack my brains about where she (Halbach) might be," he said. "I want to help." Avery said police last interviewed him on Sunday, the day his car was confiscated in Crivitz. Pagel said the evidence submitted to the crime lab includes unspecified DNA. He said he hopes the lab will reveal more from its analysis of Halbach's car in the next day or two, which could lead to her and a suspect.

The lab's preliminary report was released Monday. Pagel indicated there is no evidence of foul play from the car. "The vehicle is a major piece of this investigation," he said. Six of the years Avery spent in prison were punishment for a side St. John Sacred Heart School in Sherwood, where a candlelight vigil was held this week.

The missing woman volunteers at the school as seventh grade volleyball coach. Matt Dhein, 23, of Sherwood, said he went to grade school with Halbach and last saw her in church on Sunday before she disappeared. The disappearance has left him frustrated, he said. "She is probably as nice of a person you can meet," he said. Steve Phipps, 35, athletic director at the school, said it was Halbach's first year coaching and her team made it to second place in its league.

"All we can do is pray," he said. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Mm Information sought The Calumet County Sheriff's Department is leading the investigation into the disappearance of Teresa Marie Halbach, 25, of St. John. Anyone with information that could assist in the search is encouraged to call 920-849-2335.

Local authorities also are accepting tips: Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department: 920-683-4200 Manitowoc Police Department: 920-686-6500 In the news The search for Teresa Marie Halbach made national news Monday night as CNN's Nancy Grace interviewed an NPR reporter and Steven Avery. Fox News Channel's "On The Record with Greta Van Sus-teren" featured the case in a segment on Tuesday's show, including an interview with reporter Amy Weaver of the Herald Times Reporter. Among state media outlets, broadcast and print reporters from the Lakeshore, Green Bay, Appleton and Milwaukee have been in Manitowoc County covering the story. joined the investigation and the search for Halbach, bringing the total of law enforcement personnel at the scene to between 125 and 150. Pagel said the family would be allowed back on the property when the search is complete, but did not indicate when that might be.

Avery was at the Highway 147 roadblock around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as his sister, Barbara, was escorted by an officer to get some clothes from her home, day helping friends search for some sign of Halbach. The Picture People is also where Jolene Bain met Halbach. They worked together there while Halbach was attending UWGB and for a few years after, and they've remained friends. "She's fantastic at working with people," said Bain, who has joined the search.

"She's great at getting them comfortable, so they act naturally in front of the camera." Halbach is particularly good at working with chil HALBACH dren, a skill that has led to her specialty in children's portraiture, Bain said. Halbach graduated with highest honors from UWGB in 2002 with a degree in communication processes. During her senior year, her photography work was exhibited at the Lawton Gallery, which, according to university spokesman Scott Hildebrand, is the mark of exceptional student talent She's also just fun to be with, her friends say. "Everybody likes her. She gets along with everybody," said Ryan Hillegas, a Hilbert-area resident who dated Halbach during high school and college.

He is spearheading the grass-roots portion of the search. A sign reading "God bless the Halbach family" was posted out i i si Jim IHH.ftt--tellgI,3'tMI I in i-I ill-. I ff jlavid King Aymond, MD 'k-iy WISCONSIN tYE CONSULTANTS, SC 1414 NORTH TAYLOR DRIVE, SHEBOYGAN Closer HALBACH FromAI 1599 Western Ave. in Green Bay. Her friends from both counties have joined the search across northern Manitowoc County.

Many of the searchers went to college with Halbach; some had worked with her at the university newspaper. Some had worked with her at area photography studios and many had hired her to photograph their weddings or do portraits of their families. "She'll shoot their wedding -that's how people meet her, and that's how people end up falling in love with her," said Aubrey Wygralak of Pulaski, who has participated in the search this week. "She's just such a close friend to so many people." Wygralak worked with Halbach at the Picture People, a photography studio at Bay Park Square mall in Ashwaubenon, for a few years. "We just became very, very good friends," Wygralak said.

"She has taken pictures of my family, me and Josh (Wygralak's husband) She did our wedding photos. She's just a very close friend of both of ours." Wygralak last saw her at a Halloween party Oct. 21, which Halbach attended dressed as a cowgirl, and she planned to see her Saturday when the two were to throw a surprise party for two friends in Green Bay. Instead, Wygralak spent the Li Hi os 3E get to know Janeen Hudzinski, MD Holy Family Memorial proudly announces our newest family member -Janeen Hudzinski, MD, specially trained in caring for every member of your family. Dr.

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