Police arrest Capitol visitor at entrance

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin police have arrested a woman who attempted to charge past a Capitol security checkpoint.

According to Capitol Police, Elizabeth Ringle of Madison was arrested Friday morning after she refused to submit to security checks for weapons or prohibited items. Police say Ringle ignored multiple requests to comply with the checks and then attempted to run past officers into the Capitol. She was charged with disorderly conduct.

There have been 10 other arrests since protests began. Nine protesters were arrested on Feb. 17 for disorderly conduct during Senate and Assembly sessions. The only other arrest came Tuesday, when a California man attempted to breach Capitol plaza security during Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s budget address.

On Thursday, a Democratic lawmaker was tackled by police as he tried to enter the state Capitol when it was under lockdown. A few hours after the incident, Rep. Nick Milroy of South Range said both he and the officer who took him to the ground were acting too aggressively.

“There was no harm, no foul in this incident,” Milroy said. “It may have looked violent on the video but I had a puffy jacket on.”

Video from WISN-TV shows Milroy struggling with officers from the Two Rivers police department as he tried to enter the Capitol on Thursday night sometime after 6 p.m., when the building was closed to the public.

At the same time, police were trying to urge about 100 protesters who had been in the rotunda for more than two weeks to comply with a court order to leave. Protesters have converged on the Capitol in opposition to Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal taking away most collective bargaining rights from most public workers.

Milroy said he identified himself as a state representative and showed identification but the officers refused to let him in. He was tackled as he tried to enter despite their refusal.

Protesters who occupied the Capitol since Feb. 15 left the building Thursday night without incident, according to police.