Riley Carroll resigned from the La Crosse Police Department in 2025, a few months after he got arrested for drunk driving in Minnesota. He was convicted of careless driving and now works at the police department in Sparta.
By Annie Pulley, THE BADGER PROJECT
A La Crosse police officer resigned after he was arrested and charged for drinking and driving while off duty across the river in Minnesota last July. The roadside breath test had him at nearly two times the legal limit.
The Winona County Sheriff’s Office charged Riley Carroll with two criminal misdemeanors. If Carroll had been arrested in Wisconsin, just 20 miles away from where he was pulled over in Houston, Minnesota, the penalty would have been little more than a slap on the wrist.
In nearly every state, the first offense for drinking and driving is prosecuted as a crime, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Wisconsin, however, a first offense for drunk driving amounts to a civil fine and a temporarily suspended driver’s license.
“Sir, can I … this isn’t me asking anything out of this. I get it, um just, I’m honestly scared,” Carroll reportedly said in a video recording before his arrest. “I’m a cop in La Crosse.”
“Dude, are you kidding me?” the deputy responded. “There’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”
Carroll, now 25, resigned from the La Crosse Police Department in September 2025 before an internal investigation concluded. He started working for the Sparta Police Department that November, according to the state Department of Justice.
The initial charges of operating a vehicle while under the influence and operating with an alcohol level above 0.08 were dismissed, Sparta Police Chief Emilee Nottestad wrote in an email to The Badger Project. She noted Carroll was convicted of careless driving instead.
Nottestad said her department conducted a thorough background investigation into Carroll before hiring him, which included conducting a psychological evaluation and contacting multiple character references. Nottestad said Carroll fully disclosed his previous arrest.
“We do not view past mistakes, in isolation, as disqualifying,” Nottestad wrote. “Rather, we evaluate whether an individual demonstrates integrity, accountability, and alignment with our department’s core values. Based on our assessment, Officer Carroll meets those standards and is a person of strong character.”
A sheriff’s deputy in Winona County, Minnesota, pulled Carroll over for weaving in the lane. The deputy detected an odor of alcohol from inside Carroll’s Jeep, according to documents The Badger Project received in a records request. Carroll’s eyes were bloodshot, the deputy wrote, and his speech was slurred. He admitted to drinking about 45 minutes before he did field sobriety tests and said he had about four drinks.
Carroll submitted to a blood draw and while waiting at the police department, the deputy said he put his head in his hands and said, “I’m pissed at myself, it’s my life, it’s my life, I love my job, it’s gone.” Carroll went on to note his respect for the La Crosse Police Department.
“The reason it’s an excellent department is because they don’t put up with shit like this, they really don’t,” Carroll said. “They don’t put up with their officers getting arrested, and I respect that, so it’s gonna be what life is.”
Nottestad said the Sparta Police Department employs 25 full-time officers, including Carroll, and one part-time officer. Carroll makes about $37 an hour, about $1 less than his wage in La Crosse.
Nottestad does not believe Carroll qualifies as a wandering officer, one who is fired or forced from one law enforcement agency just to end up at another.
“There are, without question, instances of officers moving between departments to maintain certification and continued employment who are not suited to serve in the profession,” Nottestad wrote. “Officer Carroll, on the other hand, is a welcome addition to our department and we are grateful to have him on our team.”
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