Sheriff defends Jayme Closs 911 response

BARRON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin sheriff says his deputies did everything they could on the night a 13-year-old girl was abducted and her parents slain.

A criminal complaint says Jake Patterson told investigators he had left Jayme Closs’ home with the teenager locked in his trunk Oct. 15 just 20 seconds before he paused to yield to three oncoming squad cars with emergency lights flashing.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Wednesday that deputies “didn’t know what kind of call” they were responding to that night.

Jayme told investigators that her mother called 911 after Patterson fired shots in their home, but that the intruder ordered her to hang up.

Fitzgerald said the Closs home is on a major highway with cars on the road at all hours. He says his department has “excelled” in handling the Closs case and that he plans no changes in how his deputies respond to emergency calls.