Wis. Rapids man gets 25 years for attempted homicide during shootout

Karen Madden, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

Mon, December 15, 2025 at 11:12 PM UTC

3 min read

WISCONSIN RAPIDS − A 41-year-old man was sentenced Dec. 15 in Wood County Circuit Court to 25 years in prison for an Aug. 20, 2024, high-speed chase and shootout with police in southeastern Wood County.

Clinton H. Mayotte, of Wisconsin Rapids, pleaded no contest Sept. 30 to attempted first-degree intentional homicide. Marathon County Judge Scott Corbett, acting as a substitute judge in the Wood County case, gave Mayotte 10 years of extended supervision to follow the 25-year prison sentence.

"This was an individual who was so dangerous the public needs to be protected from that happening again," Corbett said.

Mayotte pleaded no contest Oct. 2 to Portage County charges of attempted first-degree homicide and fleeing an officer. He's scheduled for sentencing on the Portage County charges Jan. 9.

Mayotte did not make a statement during his sentencing Dec. 15.

According to the criminal complaint, in the early morning hours of Aug. 20, 2024, a Wisconsin Rapids woman reported Mayotte was acting paranoid, and she thought he was trying to break into her house. She said she was scared by the way Mayotte was acting. Mayotte hit the woman in the forehead with her cellphone. Mayotte told the woman to shut her mouth, put his hand over her mouth and held her down briefly, according to the complaint.

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On Dec. 15, Wood County District Attorney Jonathan Barnett said he's heard and believes that intervening early in domestic violence cases is the most effective way to prevent homicides. He said Mayotte lost control.

The woman said Mayotte left in her vehicle. The vehicle then became involved in a chase that started with a traffic stop in Portage County, according to the complaint.

At 1:09 a.m. Aug. 20, 2024, a Portage County deputy reported he was chasing a vehicle west on State 54 and approaching the Wood County line. The vehicle was going about 100 mph and had fired shots at the Portage County squad car, according to the complaint. A Wood County deputy joined the Portage County deputy in the chase on Riverview Expressway in Wisconsin Rapids. A Grand Rapids squad car also joined the chase.

Mayotte led officers on a chase through Wisconsin Rapids until officers stopped him with a spike strip. He then climbed up on the roof of a Wisconsin Rapids home and continued to shoot at officers.

"There were people inside that house," Barnett said. "Officers had to use an armored vehicle to rescue them."

The standoff ended when officers shot Mayotte.

Mayotte's attorney, Laura Frederico, said Mayotte's behavior was likely a case of him trying to commit suicide by cop.

Mayotte had a chaotic childhood, moving 51 times by the time he was 16 years old, Frederico said. He was the victim of child abuse. He cared for his younger sisters and tried to protect them, Frederico said.

When Mayotte was released from prison, he spent 10 years getting his life together, Frederico said. He worked for a construction company and eventually started his own business, building homes, she said.

Mayotte, who is 41, would be an old man if Corbett sentenced him to the 20-year prison sentence Barnett asked him for, Frederico said. She asked that he get 10 years in prison.

Corbett said the presentence investigation indicated Mayotte's business was $60,000 in arrears. He said Mayotte had seven children with four mothers and owed $60,000 in child support.

Corbett said Mayotte has a long history of criminal convictions and a lot of opportunities for rehabilitation.

Mayotte wasn't going to stop the night of Aug. 20, 2024, until police stopped him and that's what they did, Corbett said.

Corbett gave Mayotte credit for 482 days already served. He ordered him to have no contact with his victims, undergo domestic abuse counseling and any counseling deemed necessary and pay $5,688 restitution for damage done to squad cars.

Contact Karen Madden kmadden@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Wis. Rapids man gets 25 years for attempted homicide during shootout

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