Northeast Wisconsin State Patrol head cited by deputies after girlfriend calls 911

Capt. Daniel Gruebele, commander of the State Patrol’s Northeast Region at the Fond du Lac post, was cited for disorderly conduct in the summer after his girlfriend accused him of coercive sexual behavior.

By Annie Pulley, THE BADGER PROJECT

The head of the State Patrol’s Northeast Region is under investigation after his girlfriend called 911 in June, claiming he poured a drink on her, threw the bottle at her — both accusations he denied — and kicked her out of the house after she refused to have sex with him.

State Patrol Capt. Daniel Gruebele told the responding Outagamie County Sheriff’s deputies that his girlfriend threw a shoe at him unprovoked, and he asked her to leave. He said that as she began to gather her things, she threw more objects at him, according to the 17-page incident report from the sheriff’s office. Gruebele also said that she recently punched him in the neck multiple times. These incidents made him fear for his safety, he said, but he denied making threats toward her. The report describes Gruebele as about 6 feet, three inches tall and over 200 lbs. She’s described as a “smaller in stature female.”

The woman, whose name is redacted from the report, told the responding deputies that she and Gruebele, had a consensual, sadomasochistic relationship.

She later said she was “upset and uncomfortable with the repeated coercive level of sexual activity, and there were multiple sexual acts which she only performed to prevent him from losing his temper with her,” according to the report from the sheriff’s office.

Responding deputies noted in their reports that Gruebele appeared intoxicated. His girlfriend described him as an alcoholic and spoke about her own issues with alcohol as well.

Though the sheriff’s office felt a disorderly conduct citation was “sufficient enforcement,” Gruebele wrote in a social media message to The Badger Project that the State Patrol also opted to investigate. The citation he received from the county is an ordinance violation and not a criminal conviction.

The State Patrol is a division of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation that enforces traffic and criminal laws throughout the state. Gruebele, 50, commands the Northeast Region, which is based in Fond du Lac. The region comprises 11 counties, including Manitowoc, Outagamie and Sheboygan. 

The Badger Project also requested any internal investigations related to Gruebele from the Department of Transportation. The agency responded with a partial denial, releasing a photo of Gruebele but declining to provide any records.

“I am denying the remainder of your request for access to these records at this time because the requested information relates to an active, ongoing internal personnel investigation,” an attorney for the DOT wrote in a response letter.

State law generally exempts ongoing investigations from records requests until they are completed. The department confirmed his current work status, however.

“Mr. Gruebele is currently on leave from the department,” according to an email from the state DOT’s Office of Public Affairs. “The department cannot comment on ongoing personnel issues.”

When asked by The Badger Project for comment, Gruebele didn’t provide additional context about the June incident but said, “I’ve received threatening and intimidating anonymous messages via social media. I don’t believe my two teenage sons deserve to have me dragged through any more embarrassment than we’ve already experienced.”

Sheriff’s deputies responded to Gruebele’s home in Outagamie County after his girlfriend called 911 and said they were fighting, according to the report. Deputies found the girlfriend in her SUV down the street and saw Gruebele walking out of the garage with what they believed was a bottle of liquor. 

The girlfriend told deputies that Gruebele walked out to her SUV and pounded on the window, according to the incident report. Gruebele said he went to her vehicle to talk but went inside when she didn’t roll down the window. She later showed deputies an audio recording she captured as Gruebele kicked her out. 

Gruebele’s voice can be heard calling her a “bitch,” a “(expletive) drunk.” She later says “Don’t” and asks, “Why are you doing this?” according to the report. 

Deputies said they asked her multiple times to describe what happened. She didn’t elaborate and would tell the investigators she didn’t want to get Gruebele in trouble. 

“She said that Daniel would ask her to have sex a lot, and he would get mad if she said no, and they would argue. She said she often did what he wanted because it was easier,” the investigation reads. “She stated that Daniel is a nice guy when he’s sober but ‘evil’ when he drinks.”

She was adamant that the interactions were consensual and denied being assaulted. One deputy said she alluded to waking up to Gruebele performing sexual acts on her or waking up surprised that she was still physically restrained after consenting when she was awake. She described one instance so forceful that it made her throw up and described the concerning frequency of some of their sexual encounters.

She told deputies later that, “If I don’t do what he wants me to do, he will (expletive) me up.” 

She “made numerous comments during our interview that she did not want Gruebele to get in trouble, but he should not be doing the things he’s doing,” one deputy wrote in a report. “She repeatedly commented that she believed he should be more trustworthy because of his position in law enforcement, but she did not feel like his actions and behavior were appropriate.”

One deputy reported that he felt she didn’t share the whole story in order to protect Gruebele’s career.  

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.