January 4, 2005
By JESSE GARZA
Journal Sentinel Inc.
An apparent meteor and accompanying sonic boom Tuesday evening over northeast Wisconsin prompted scores of telephone calls to law enforcement authorities, a Shawano County sheriff's sergeant said.
Sgt. Dennis Kleman said reports of the meteor sighting were made in Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Langlade and Shawano counties between 6 and 6:15 p.m.
Kleman himself spotted the meteor while patrolling in the westbound lane of county Highway A about four miles west of Gresham, he said.
"It had a really bright tail," said Kleman, who noticed a bright flash in his windshield coming from the northeast.
"It came over the top of my squad. It didn't appear to be coming down. It went across," Kleman said. "It went toward the southwest and looked like it extinguished."
There were no reports of the object landing, but it is suspected of causing the sonic boom Kleman and others heard shortly after it flashed.
"It was well up in the sky," the deputy said. "It was just a matter of a second, then it went out."
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