By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
The 18-year-old man suspected in a July shooting who was captured in Racine after nearly two months on the run appeared in court this week in Wausau, where he was ordered held on a $10,000 cash bond.
Nicholas Multani was named a person of interest shortly after the July 23 shooting in the 800 block of South Third Avenue. Police responded there after a 911 caller reported his home was struck by gunfire following a dispute. The alleged shooter fled the scene prior to officers’ arrival, according to a Wausau PD news release.
Officers located evidence consistent with a shooting and determined no one was injured. But Multani remained on the loose until Sept. 15, when officers responded to a welfare check in the 1600 block of Holmes Avenue in Racine. A caller reported seeing a vehicle parked on the street with a door open and two men passed out inside. Racine Police identified Multani as one of the occupants of the vehicle and arrested him on both local charges and the Marathon County warrant.
On July 28, prosecutors filed official felony charges against Multani, who faces two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, along with a charge of endangering safety by reckless use of a firearm and possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. Multani also is charged with possessing a dangerous weapon as a person younger than 18, a misdemeanor.
The alleged shooting happened when Multani was 17. He turned 18 two weeks later but would have been tried as an adult regardless, as per Wisconsin law.
Circuit Judge Scott Corbett ordered the cash bond on Oct. 2 and jail records show Multani remains behind bars as of Oct. 5. A review hearing is set for Friday, with a preliminary hearing on the docket for Oct. 11.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
