Ex-Racine Co Sheriff’s investigator pleads guilty, gets jail time in wife abuse case

Jonathan Bechman worked for the sheriff’s department for 15 years before he pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors in a domestic abuse case involving his wife.

By Annie Pulley, THE BADGER PROJECT

Jonathan Bechman, an ex-investigator for the Racine County Sheriff’s Office, got six months in jail after he pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 in a domestic abuse case.

The plea results in convictions of two counts of battery with domestic abuse modifiers as well as one count of attempted misconduct in office. All three are misdemeanors.

Racine County Judge David Paulson sentenced Bechman to six months in jail with work release and the next three years on probation, according to online court records.  

The judge ruled he can serve the time in the neighboring Walworth County Jail. His sentence is set to begin Sept. 18.

Bechman had worked for the sheriff’s office since 2011 and was put on administrative leave in January after his wife filed for a domestic abuse restraining order. His last day with the Racine County Sheriff’s Office was May 1, according to the county’s human resources department.

In a five-page narrative submitted with the request for the restraining order, Bechman’s wife detailed a long history of abuse and coercion, including how her husband pressured her to have sex with other men.

“As a police officer, it’s been disappointing to see how you lived and how my life had to be,” Jennifer Bechman said, addressing her husband in an interview she gave to TMJ4 outside the Racine County Law Enforcement Center.

The court approved her restraining order in February. Bechman was charged in May.

His attorney did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

As part of his sentence, Bechman is banned from contact with the victim, must complete a Batterer’s Intervention course, get domestic violence counseling, undergo a mental health evaluation and obtain and maintain full-time employment.

He is also banned from possessing firearms.

State law says cops lose their law enforcement certification, essentially their license to be in policing, if they are convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

“Life is good,” Jennifer Bechman said in her interview. “I feel free.”

The Badger Project is an independent, reader-supported news nonprofit in Wisconsin.