Category: Investigations
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Waushara Co Sheriff’s deputy demotes self after inquiry into job performance
Scott Schaut, who had been the department’s night-shift sergeant, was on an improvement plan when The Badger Project requested those records. He resigned from that leadership position shortly after.
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Waushara Co Sheriff promoted deputy after lewd photos, other bad behavior
Matthew Elliott resigned from the sheriff’s department last month, just days after The Badger Project requested a 2022 investigation into him propositioning colleagues and sending others lewd photos.
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Ex-Muskego officer accused of sex assault by fellow cop working at nearby agency
Andrew Sundstrom, a former Muskego Police K9 officer, was accused of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend, also a cop. He was forced out of the job but not charged and claims the allegations were “manufactured.”
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Waushara Co sheriff pocketed over $20k for K9 partner after quitting trainings
Sheriff Walter Zuehlke stopped training ‘Argo’ in 2019 after his election, but continued taking $400 monthly care checks from the county, even after the dog died, an investigation by The Badger Project found.
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NW Wisconsin cop forced out for bad behavior now working at Hayward PD
Officer Matthew Frey resigned in lieu of termination from the Cumberland Police Department after facing dozens of complaints, including cursing at civilians and watching YouTube on duty.
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Ex-Jackson Co chief deputy ousted for bad behavior working at nearby Neillsville PD
Adam Olson resigned from his position as the second-ranking officer at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office last year while under investigation for inappropriate relationships with female subordinates.
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Ex-Northern Wis jail head who sent lewd texts to female deputies working as cop
Jeffrey Johnson resigned from the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 after sending sexual images to female jail deputies. He was later hired in the next county over at the Minong Police Department.
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Racine County cop kept job despite DA’s deception claim; she alleges retaliation
The district attorney said Waterford Police Officer Sarah Polka was dishonest during an investigation into her son. Polka said that was untrue and payback for her advocacy of her department.
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Political challenger accuses Waupaca Co Sheriff, local GOP chapter, of blacklisting
More than a year before the GOP primary, a rural Wisconsin sheriff’s race is heating up, with the former and current DAs taking sides.
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‘They don’t know’ – Cop ousted in Racine Co for dishonesty promoted at new dept
A sheriff’s investigation recommended that the Waterford Police Department terminate Nathaniel Schweitzer in 2024. He was recently promoted to sergeant in Big Bend in Waukesha County.
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Milwaukee-area cop resigns after investigation from The Badger Project
Amanda Lang quit the Lannon Police Department after our story noted why she had been forced out of a previous job in law enforcement.
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Fond du Lac Co Sheriff’s deputy quit previous jail job after stealing toilet paper
Coty Hazelett was rehired by the Vilas County Jail after his 2020 resignation, then moved to a similar job in Fond Du Lac County in 2023.
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Vilas Co deputy who quit after drunken street scuffle back at sheriff’s office
Police arrested Brent Wilmot after he fled the altercation in 2021. A superior says the department gave him a second chance in 2024 and he has become one of their “better deputies.”
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Milwaukee-area cop quit last police job after appearing to skip 200+ work hours
An internal investigation found the officer, Amanda Lang, had “displayed a lack of integrity, honesty and trustworthiness.”
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La Crosse Police were the only department in Wisconsin using this ‘unusual practice.’ And it cost taxpayers.
After paying $450,000 to a man involved in a 2020 police confrontation, the department stopped using traffic stops to issue unrelated and outstanding citations last month.
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Wisconsin still has highest percentage of female state Supreme Court justices in U.S.
The state just experienced another record-smashing race in terms of political spending. Some research suggests gender is a cause for all that campaign cash flooding into the state to try and influence the election.
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FINAL REPORT: Top donors using political party loophole in Wis Supreme Court race
Elon Musk joins the regular billionaire donors in Wisconsin politics: the Uihleins, Diane Hendricks, George Soros and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, along with many others dumping huge sums into Wisconsin parties.
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FINAL REPORT: Top donors to Brad Schimel for Wisconsin Supreme Court
Eric Hovde, Tim Michels and Kwik Trip co-founder Donald Zeitlow have each given the legal maximum of $20k, as have billionaire GOP megadonors the Uihleins and Diane Hendricks and her children.