Monday, December 2, 2024
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Man accused of child sex assault and possessing child porn pleads not guilty
RACINE — A 44-year-old Caledonia man pleaded not guilty Nov. 21 in connection to the alleged assault of a 10-year-old girl.
According to online court records, Patrick Hagen was charged Oct. 1 with one count of the repeated sexual assault of the same child and three counts of possessing child pornography.
Each charge is a felony.
If convicted of the assault, Hagen could spend at least 25 years in prison. Each child pornography charge carries a possible $100,000 fine, a prison sentence up to 25 years, or both. The court can also impose a $500 surcharge for each image or copy of an image recovered.
Hagen is scheduled to appear for a status conference Jan. 21.
Allegations
According to previous reporting, a girl accused Hagen of inappropriately touching her on multiple occasions.
When the police searched Hagen’s residence, they reportedly found images depicting child pornography.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Racine winter parking regulations start Dec. 1
JOURNAL TIMES STAFF
Alternate side parking regulations will be in effect seven days a week through April 1, except for Christmas Day (Dec. 25) and New Year’s Day (Jan. 1).
From 2-6 a.m., vehicles must park on the even-numbered address side of the street on even-numbered calendar dates; vehicles must park on the odd-numbered side of the street on odd-numbered calendar dates.
Vehicles in violation of restrictions are subject to ticketing and a $20 fine, according to the city.
During declared snow emergencies, there is no parking allowed on arterial and collector streets. Vehicles that violate this rule will be towed.
On local streets during declared snow emergencies, alternate side parking regulations (based on the following day’s date) remain in effect until 2 p.m.
For more information, visit www.cityofracine.org/snowemergency-2/ or call the Racine Police Department at 262-635-7750.
Friday, November 29, 2024
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
No serious questions were answered on Harris' call with donors: Lindy Li | NewsNation Live
‘Brain-dead’ patient woke up in the OR. But a witness says an organ procurement group kept ‘pushing’
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Cops Gone Wild: We're teaming up with TMJ4 and Wisconsin Watch to investigate problematic police officers
Daphne Chen
Reporters have long sought Milwaukee County's closely-guarded list of law enforcement officers with a history of dishonesty, bias or past crimes.
It’s known as the “Brady list,” and for years, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office resisted efforts to release the full list publicly.
But after pressure from local news organizations, the District Attorney’s Office has released a list of nearly 200 names. Now, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is teaming up with TMJ4 News and Wisconsin Watch to investigate the officers who are — and aren’t — on the list.
The Brady list comes from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said prosecutors must disclose material that can help defendants prove their innocence, including any evidence that police may not be credible witnesses.
But there's no consistency to how prosecutors in Wisconsin maintain Brady lists, making it difficult or impossible for people charged with crimes to know if the police testifying against them have a history of dishonesty.
"This isn't a story where we're trying to do gotcha journalism or anything like that; this really is about transparency and telling Milwaukee residents what they should know about the credibility of their police officers,” said Jim Malewitz, managing editor at Wisconsin Watch.
"The hope is that by teaming up and working together, we can better serve our viewers and readers," added Tim Vetscher, news director at TMJ4. "For far too long, Milwaukee County’s Brady list has remained a mystery.”
Ashley Luthern is the deputy investigations editor at the Journal Sentinel and an investigative reporter focused on public safety, crime and policing.
"This reporting is about accountability," Luthern said. "Police officers are public employees, and their word carries enormous power, from justifying arrests to testifying against people accused of wrongdoing."
What is the Brady list?
The Brady list is a list of law enforcement officials who have lied, broken the law, or acted in a way that erodes their credibility to be a witness. It’s also known as the do-not-call list or the Brady-Giglio list.
The name comes from the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, which ruled that prosecutors can’t withhold material that might help the defense at trial.
Where can I find Wisconsin’s Brady list?
In Wisconsin, there is no single Brady list. District attorney’s offices in each county are responsible for maintaining their own lists.
In an investigation earlier this year, Wisconsin Watch filed records requests with prosecutors in each of the state’s 72 counties. Seventeen denied the records request or said they didn't keep track. Another 23 said they had no names on file. The other counties disclosed a list of about 360 names.
Similarly, a USA TODAY investigation in 2019 found a “widespread failure by police departments and prosecutors to track problem officers,” making it challenging for those accused of crimes to properly defend themselves in court.
Why hasn’t Milwaukee County’s Brady list been public until now?
Until recently, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office had denied records requests from news organizations for the full Brady List, citing the need to protect prosecutors’ investigatory files and attorney work product.
The office released a partial version of the list that only included officers who were charged with a crime or forfeiture action. Officers who were investigated internally but never charged were excluded.
However, the Journal Sentinel and other news organizations continued to push for the entire list. In August, TMJ4 threatened to sue the county if it continued to keep the full Brady list a secret.
The following month, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office released the full copy of the list to TMJ4 and the Journal Sentinel. In a letter, the office noted that it could not guarantee the accuracy of the list.
The Journal Sentinel, TMJ4 and Wisconsin Watch are working to confirm the accuracy of the list so that it can be released publicly.
How many people are on Milwaukee County’s Brady List?
Nearly 200 current and former law enforcement officers are on the list, which goes back around 20 years. Some are accused of multiple offenses.
Of those on the list, the majority are from the Milwaukee Police Department.
The list is believed to be incomplete, given that thousands of law enforcement officers are employed across the county by more than two dozen agencies.
What kind of behavior gets you on the Brady List?
The type of misconduct that can land a law enforcement officer on the Brady list is broad, ranging from violent crimes to workplace issues. An officer does not have to be found guilty of a crime or even charged with a crime to be placed on the list.
Of the names on Milwaukee County’s Brady list, the majority involve criminal cases. Roughly a quarter involve internal investigations.
The offenses range from crimes like domestic violence or drunk driving to integrity issues like falsifying police documents or cheating on police training tests.
I have a tip about a Brady List issue. How do I get in touch?
The Journal Sentinel, TMJ4 and Wisconsin Watch are working to confirm the underlying offenses related to each officer on the list.
Readers with questions, tips or feedback about officers who should be on the list are encouraged to contact the Journal Sentinel’s investigative team at wisconsininvestigates@gannett.com.
Cops Gone Wild: Former Racine County Sheriff's Office deputy pleads guilty to child sex crimes
Annie Pulley
Across two cases, Kite faced 47 charges. Twenty-six of the charges were dismissed but read into the court’s record.
Kite pleaded guilty to nine charges of possessing child pornography; 10 charges of child sexual exploitation; and one count of exposing his genitals/pubic area/intimate parts to a child. Kite also pleaded guilty to a bestiality charge.
Multiple RCSO staffers, including a RCSO child pornography investigator, watched from the gallery as Kite made his pleas.
According to previous Journal Times reports, Kite worked for RCSO for about five years.
At the time of his arrest on Feb. 3, Kite was removed from duty and placed on unpaid administrative leave. His disciplinary process was completed Feb. 8, and he was terminated, according to previous reports.
The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department led the investigation, and a special prosecutor from Kenosha County appeared in the Racine County Circuit Court on Friday to represent the state’s case.
Kite is scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing Feb. 28.
The investigation
According to previous reporting, Kite was arrested Feb. 3 after being accused of exposing himself to a man in a public restroom while on duty and in uniform.
Investigators later searched Kite’s phone and reportedly found child sexual abuse material.
Kite also had reportedly exchanged four videos with another person that included abusive, sexual depictions of a young boy.
Kite reportedly sent that individual a link to a video titled “When cops realize their colleague is a P*do.”
Law enforcement searched Kite’s phone a second time on Feb. 6; his home also was searched.
On Kite’s iPad, investigators reportedly found text messages between Kite and an individual referencing sexual contact with animals. In the messages, Kite reportedly admitted to engaging in sexual activity with multiple animals.
After the initial charges were filed, another individual reportedly contacted detectives and said that Kite babysat the individual’s 9-year-old son.
When the child was interviewed Feb. 13 and asked whether Kite did anything the child did not like, the boy reportedly said, “Yeah. But I don’t want to talk about it.”
A week later, the boy reportedly told his parent he was ready to talk about the incident.
The boy reportedly said that Kite was in the bathroom and asked for toilet paper. The child reportedly told investigators that he walked in, saw Kite’s genitals and said it felt “weird.”
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| Kite |
Monday, November 25, 2024
Robin Vos again calls for Michael Gableman to be disbarred after 2020 election review
Hope Karnopp
In a Sunday morning interview on WISN-TV's "Upfront," Assembly Speaker Robin Vos repeated calls for former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who he hired, then fired, to investigate the 2020 election, to be disbarred and "never allowed to practice law in Wisconsin again."
"I certainly hope Michael Gableman loses his law license. I hope he goes back to work at Home Depot, where he was working prior to working for us," Vos said. "As I look at what the Office of Lawyer Regulation is saying happened, it's an embarrassment for anybody who practices law."
The Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a disciplinary complaint Tuesday alleging Gableman violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys, including engaging in "disruptive behavior" during a court hearing, making false statements about the integrity of a judge and violating the state's open records law.
More:Former Justice Michael Gableman faces disciplinary complaint tied to 2020 election probe
When a Journal Sentinel reporter previously asked Gableman if he worked at Home Depot before being hired by Vos in 2021 to lead the election review, he refused to answer. Gableman served on the state's highest court between 2008 and 2018.
According to the complaint, the Assembly paid more than $2.3 million for the investigation, which yielded a steady drumbeat of explosive court hearings and rulings in lawsuits over his desire to jail election officials and mayors who refused to be interviewed behind closed doors, and his decision to ignore requests from the public for records related to his probe.
The review never revealed any evidence of significant fraud or new facts related to the election not previously known.
Vos says Republicans will limit education spending in state budget
Vos hit on plenty of other subjects in the wide-ranging interview, including restructuring Milwaukee Public Schools, proposing tax relief for retirees using the state's $4 billion surplus, and requiring state employees to work in the office three or four days a week.
"A lot of employees aren't working, or they're working only from home and not doing it very well with little supervision," Vos said.
Democrats responded to his interview by pointing out the state Legislature is only in session a few months out of the year.
"Rich stuff from a guy who adjourned the Assembly last February yet continues to draw a full-time salary," Democratic Party of Wisconsin communications director Joe Oslund said on X.
Vos also suggested Republicans would not allow a "massive increase" in K-12 and higher education spending in the upcoming two-year budget, after the state's last budget "had the largest increase in education spending in literally a generation," he said.
"There are some parts of Wisconsin where people want to spend more money, and they have every right to do that. If they want to raise their taxes at the ballot box, I support that idea," Vos said. "The idea that we're going to do it for them and take the burden on for every single district ... that's just wrong for the state."
Over one in four public school districts in Wisconsin went to referendum in November, with nearly 78% approved by voters.
More:UW System funding ranks 43rd nationally. A big budget request would move it to middle of pack
More:Wisconsin legislators lay out priorities. Here's what to know from leaders of both parties.
Vos said he wants the Assembly to again pass the "Monday count" bill, which failed in the Senate last session. Clerks have long asked for the ability to begin processing absentee ballots before Election Day to prevent delays, especially in Milwaukee, which can lead to perceptions of a late-night "ballot dump."
Vos said he wants to enforce that only U.S. citizens can vote, after voters approved a referendum adding that language to the state constitution. The author of the referendum previously told the Journal Sentinel that the idea was separate from requiring proof of citizenship to vote, like a passport, birth certificate or naturalization papers.
"We have to actually pass statutes that will say, 'How do we ensure when someone shows up to same-day register, that we know they're a citizen?'" Vos said.
Vos, a longtime target of Trump, voted for him in November
Vos has long been at odds with President-Elect Donald Trump over his efforts to pressure Vos to overturn the 2020 election in Wisconsin, and Trump helped fund a primary challenge against him. Vos endorsed Trump after he won the presidential primaries but had previously called his nomination a "suicide mission."
On Sunday, Vos confirmed he voted for Trump on Nov. 5.
"I thought about the future of our country, the future of our state. And there's no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump being the president is a better option than either Kamala Harris or Joe Biden," he said.
Vos supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the primary.
Vos said he's confident that Republicans will control the Assembly for the rest of the decade, though the state's new legislative maps give Democrats a chance to pick up more seats in the Senate in 2026.
Vos said he plans to run in 2026.
He said, "2024 was a pretty hard year for Robin Vos: Two recalls, a primary, an independent whack job running against me in the fall. It was not an easy time, but hopefully most of that is behind me and now we can focus on all the good things that are left."
Anxiety drug Clonazepam recalled over 'possibly life-threatening' labeling error
Maia PandeyAhjané Forbes
An anxiety drug is being voluntarily recalled over a mislabeling error that could be “possibly life-threatening," according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Some packages of clonazepam were labeled with the incorrect dosage strength and National Drug Code (NDC), which is the FDA's identifier for drugs, according to Endo, Inc., the drug's manufacturer. Endo originally issued a recall over the error in July but expanded it on Nov. 18.
The issue was caused by a third-party packager, the company said.
"Our own quality investigation identified a potential label inaccuracy at a third-party vendor, leading to this expanded recall of to a limited number of product lots that were packaged earlier this year," Linda Huss, an Endo, Inc. spokesperson, told USA TODAY.
Clonazepam, also known by its brand name Klonopin, is a drug used to anxiety, seizures and panic disorder. Though entirely legal when prescribed by a medical professional, it is illegal federally, including in Wisconsin, to unlawfully possess Klonopin.
Here is what to know about the Clonazepam recall.
What types of Clonazepam are being recalled?
According to Endo, Inc.’s recall, the Clonazepam being recalled is in cartons containing 60 tablets that are packed into 10 blister strips, containing six tablets each.
To know if your pills are part of the recall, check if the package's lot number or NDC match up with any on the list provided by the FDA.
What are the risk factors of the recalled drug?
Children and adults who consume the higher dose could be at increased risk of "adverse events," including significant sedation, confusion, dizziness, diminished reflexes, ataxia, and hypotonia, Endo, Inc. said.
The company also warned of additional side effects for patients with specific risk factors.
“There is reasonable probability for significant, possibly life-threatening, respiratory depression especially for patients with concomitant pulmonary disease, patients who have prescribed dosing near maximal dosing, and patients also taking other medications that could cause additional respiratory depression,” the recall notice said.
Has anyone gotten sick over the mislabeling error?
As of Nov. 18, when Endo, Inc. issued its recall, the company said it has not received any reports of adverse events related to the recall.
What should you do if you have the recalled drug?
The pharmaceutical company said the following precautionary measures should be taken if you have any of the recalled Clonazepam:
- Distributors and retailers should stop dispensing the recalled product. It is highly recommended that the product be returned to the place of purchase or to contact Inmar.
- Consumers are encouraged to discontinue using the drug.
- If you are a consumer that may have taken an incorrect dose of Clonazepam it is advised to contact your doctor.
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