NEWS

Fond du Lac man arrested Thursday night after earlier manhunt in Horicon Marsh called off

Fond du Lac Reporter

HORICON - Officers arrested a Fond du Lac man Thursday night after suspending a manhunt for him earlier in the day.

Dodge County Sheriff's Office deputies took into custody Richard David Erdman, 35, about 9 p.m. after receiving information that led to the arrest, Sheriff Dale Schmidt said in a statement.

No more information was provided about how he was found. There were multiple warrants for his arrest, Schmidt said.

Horicon police and deputies from the sheriff's office searched Thursday morning for Erdman in the Horicon Marsh after a welfare call to Royal Oaks Motel on the city's east side, Schmidt said in a news conference.

Someone called 911 Thursday morning in Fond du Lac County to report Erdman was armed and making threats to harm himself, according to sheriff's office call logs. Erdman also told the caller that he would "do suicide by cop," the logs read.

The caller told the dispatcher that Erdman may be at the motel. When police arrived, Erdman fled into the marsh, Schmidt said. Crews used infrared cameras and drones to look for him.

The manhunt ended unsuccessfully about 1 p.m. Schmidt asked the public to look for Erdman in the area.

Schmidt said the conditions in the marsh were difficult for officers.

"It's wet. It's tall. There's a lot of marsh in there. It's hard to see. It's very tiring for staff to be walking around out there ... It's hard to see what's coming up in front of you," he said.

. Schmidt did not specify the felony warrants for which Erdman is wanted.

Contact Sarah Razner at 920-907-7909 or srazner@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @misssarahrazner.