SWAT Team Arrests Man in Downtown Eau Claire /

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SWAT Team Arrests Man in Downtown Eau Claire

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Posted: 8:46 AM Aug 29, 2008
Last Updated: 8:46 AM Aug 29, 2008
Reporter: Mark Povolny
Email Address: mark.povolny@weau.com

18 comments

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A SWAT team went into a downtown Eau Claire building Thursday afternoon and arrested a man after the West Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force got tips about crack cocaine sales.

Field Operations Supervisor Jeff Wilson says 31-year-old Melvin Deal was arrested at 610 N. Barstow Street just after 2 p.m. Wilson says Deal is in jail on a probation hold, but says the SWAT team didn't find any significant drug evidence at the house. Wilson says Deal has been arrested multiple times for drug activity. Court records show Deal has previous felony convictions for delivery of cocaine and manufacturing and delivering cocaine.

Wilson says the Task Force asked for the SWAT team as a precaution, given Deal's previous record and a history of gun activity at the house. Wilson also says people nearby were kept inside the YMCA and other buildings as a safety precaution.

The Eau Claire County Sheriff's and Police departments, the Eau Claire Fire Department, and several K-9 teams were on scene.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Philo Location: Eau Claire on Sep 17, 2008 at 08:51 AM
Not one of you yet has even mentioned that if there were no such thing as drug prohibition law, there would be no such thing as a 'drug criminal'. Do you really honestly believe that everyone who patronized a speakeasy in the '20's is a dangerous criminal? This is the same thing. We only see them as criminals because a law was passed. Yes, some drug dealers actually are criminals, but the fact is most of them only carry guns and act tough simply because you can't call the cops when someone screws you. Dealers have to protect their own investments. As a result, they end up acting like cops; i.e., carrying weapons, maintaining a high level of alertness, protective procedures, etc...

Posted by: Ken Location: Gilman on Sep 4, 2008 at 06:32 PM
Some of us have more respect for the law than others. Obviously, you value the lives of crack dealers more than the lives of our youth. I'm glad that you don't make the laws!

Posted by: joe Location: st paul on Sep 4, 2008 at 06:09 AM
whoa, ken slow down fella! you really want people to take you seriously, relax with the dealth sentence. that is completely insane and maybe we need to incarcerate and give you the death penalty. you are wound a little too tightly if you think that is even rational. give him the death penalty before he's even convicted. ken, i know that drugs are terrible and the people that push them are worse but lets not talk like that. statements like that overshadow anything of relavence that you've said. ken i would suggest getting some counseling, i'd be willing to bet that you have some passive aggresive issues.

Posted by: shiann Location: eau claire on Aug 30, 2008 at 08:58 PM
He also has gotten credit cards in someone elses name, and has been stealing money from someones bank account.

Posted by: Red Location: EauClaire on Aug 30, 2008 at 05:38 PM
State arming yourselves the drug dealers from the prisons are moving into the area, look at what's happening in Stanley.Our judges don't care.

Posted by: real Location: eau claire on Aug 30, 2008 at 10:02 AM
I had no idea eau claire had a swat team.. I guess eau claire just keeps growing

Posted by: joe Location: st paul on Aug 30, 2008 at 06:53 AM
this is joe agian. was going to say what i had to say on this and let it go. first off steve, i do not watch too much television. to think the way i think comes from being there before, first hand. through the grace of god i have turned my life around but i used be in my own share of trouble and have seen first hand what happens with our legal system. so my friend, i'm not just talkin out of my back door. if he was so guilty, he would be charged by now. and now for recovering addict. i sure do understand what it's like to have chemicals control your life so i get where you are coming from. one thing though. you say has anyone looked up this man's criminal history? yes i have and my question to you would be. would you like to be judged for the rest of your life by your behavior and actions when you were at your worst addiction wise, or would you like to put some of that behind you and be seen for the way you live your life now? once you're clean, everyone else with a past is scum?NotRigt

Posted by: Ken Location: Gilman on Aug 29, 2008 at 07:55 PM
Though I agree with you about how these drug dealers and addicts are ruining lives, I disagree that it is necessary for anyone to become and addict in order to see how dangerous drugs are. I believe a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Mr Deal needs to be sentenced to death so that these criminals will see that society ACTIVELY disagrees with their actions. The one thing that never ceases to amaze me is how someone like Mr. Deal, who obviously has NO self respect whatsoever, could commit such a selfish crime. Hypocrisy never surprises me from these types of people.

Posted by: Harry Location: rice lake on Aug 29, 2008 at 06:17 PM
This is clearly a case of misinterpretation. Can you say "snitch?"... a similar case just happened right here in Rice Lake with the West Central drug task force. Officers contacted a couple of men in jail and took their statements as true (when in fact they were telling complete lies to weasel out of their own legal problems)These untruthful statements resulted in an innocent family being torn apart. The justice system is broken... Corruption at its highest point!!!!!

Posted by: RecoveringAddict Location: EC on Aug 29, 2008 at 02:08 PM
I don't think any one of you truly know what you are talking about..until you have been an addict and have come clean, you have no idea how dangerous these drugs really are...has anyone bothered to look up this man's criminal history...it is very lengthy and full of drug convictions as well as weapon charges...hello people, this man needs to get off the streets and behind bars for real....lets stop kidding ourselves, these people (dealers, addicts, all alike) are dangerous people, and what they are doing is ruining the lives of many great people in this world...not only to mention the addicts themselves, but what about the children of these addicts and dealers...what kind of a life are these children experiencing...let me tell ya from experience...NOT a good one...wake up society...whether drugs were found during this raid or not...this man is a known drug dealer and needs to be dealt with...if more addicts would wake up and smell the coffee, these drug dealers would be out of business.

Posted by: anon Location: ec on Aug 29, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Ironic his last name is Deal..

Posted by: steve Location: eau claire on Aug 29, 2008 at 10:28 AM
This is for JOE! You answered your own question as to why this man is sitting in jail. You said you were sure the investigation was deeper than a single tip. I'm sure you're right. The Judge wouldn't have signed the search warrant on just one tip. I'm sure there was plenty of evidence linking Mr. Deal to drug sales. This evidence is what is keeping Mr. Deal in jail. Just because they did not find drugs at the business on the day of the raid does not mean thay have not observed Deal selling drugs. If you truly believe Deal is sitting in jail because "some addict" said Deal sold them drugs, you really have no clue as to how the legal system works. If you truly believe he will sit in jail until the authorities "put" something on him, you watch too much television.

Posted by: joe Location: st paul on Aug 29, 2008 at 09:18 AM
lets not only post praising comments for task force and police. there is a whole other part of society who deal with these people that see and know first hand that the spin they put on is just not the case very often. granted, mr deal is what he is and he knows that, but this goes way deeper than a tip that he was conducting crack sales. it isnt the first time mr deal has been down this road. but to simply say that law enforcement has the best interest of the public in mind and that the way they conduct business is morally right is very far fetched. they did not find evidence of drug activity when they raided mr deal. why is he in jail? a probation hold? for what, the man had no narcotics. now they will keep him there until they are able to get some addict to say that melvin deal sold him/her drugs so that person can get out of their own trouble. then they will put something on him and away to prison he goes. innocent until proven guilty? the man ahould not be in jail today, period!

Posted by: Richard on Aug 29, 2008 at 09:14 AM
a few drug dealers down,hundreds to go!

Posted by: Ken Location: Gilman on Aug 29, 2008 at 06:36 AM
The penalties for dealing drugs are just not tough enough in this state. I think selling life endangering drugs should be a capital offense. These people are getting into our schools and leading some of our most hopeful youth to a path of life-long failure and dissatisfaction. It's no wonder that we are losing the battle for economic stability to the EU, China, and India. It would be one thing if these drugs were only being sold to people who were already addicts but I know for a fact that there are people hosting parties (unfortunately some of them are actually PARENTS) with the specific intent of addicting minors to these dangerous drugs. People engaging in this activity need to be executed; there is no incentive for them to have decent morals with the weak punishments being used currently.

Posted by: Shanekwa Location: Eau Claire on Aug 28, 2008 at 10:30 PM
You people don't know nothing. There were no drugs found if you read the article on Melvin correctly.

Posted by: Red Location: EauClaire on Aug 28, 2008 at 08:44 PM
The word is out our judges aren't hard on drugs easy bonds so we are being flooded with dealer and gang members. People better wake up here and see whats happening to our area.

Posted by: Happy Parent Location: Eau Claire on Aug 28, 2008 at 08:36 PM
Good job drug task force! Two big arrests in one week (Shane Wilson and Melvin Deal). The war on drugs will not be won by the pathetic drug dealers in our area. Keep taking care of business, I'm proud of you.