Sunday, October 4, 2026
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Racine public defender pleads guilty to obstructing officers
Milana Doné
RACINE — A public defender pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing officers during a hearing Aug. 27, according to online court records.
The charge against 28-year-old Cole Covey originally was filed as a misdemeanor last December, but was amended to an ordinance violation.
The judge ordered Covey to pay a fine and self report to the Wisconsin Office State Bar Office of Lawyer Regulations within 30 days, wherein the charge will be dismissed with prejudice, the court records said.
Covey reportedly attended a hearing in March 2025 with his client, who was an inmate. A Racine Count Sheriff's Office deputy allowed Covey additional time to speak with his client in a back hallway at the courthouse before deputies escorted the inmate back to Racine County Jail.
According to RCSO, a deputy intervened when the inmate began wandering down an adjacent hallway. Covey reportedly positioned himself in the deputy's path, and the deputy pushed past Covey and escorted the inmate toward the elevator.
Covey sent a letter to the deputy's supervisor alleging that the deputy had shoved the inmate into a wall twice.
Covey's allegations were forwarded to the Sheriff's Professional Standards Unit, which conducted an investigation and interviewed Covey. After being shown body camera footage, Covey reportedly stood by the accusations.
RCSO said the allegations were proven to be false by the body camera footage, witness statements and a lack of physical evidence.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Cops Gone Wild: Former RCSO deputy pleads guilty to attempting misconduct in public office, battery
Milana Doné
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Jonathan Bechman, left, talks with his attorney, Daniel Adams, during a plea/sentencing hearing Friday. RACINE — A former Racine County Sheriff's Office deputy has been found guilty in connection to allegations of domestic abuse and using law enforcement resources to track his wife. Jonathan Bechman, 48, was charged in May with one count of attempting misconduct in public office (act in excess of lawful authority) and two counts of misdemeanor battery with a domestic abuse modifier. Bechman pleaded guilty Friday to all three charges and was sentenced to six months in jail with work release and three years of probation. He also was sentenced to 27 months in jail imposed and stayed, meaning Bechman will not serve that time unless he violates the terms of his probation. According to a criminal complaint, Bechman's wife told Mount Pleasant investigators about two specific incidents of domestic violence and alleged there had been ongoing violence throughout their marriage. A forensic download of Bechman's phone reportedly revealed statements in the Notes app admitting violence toward his wife. After reporting to the police, Bechman's wife moved out of state. An RCSO employee reported that there were documents on Bechman's desk that indicated he had been using police resources to locate her. The documents were not in connection to a criminal investigation or official duties and were against policy, the complaint said. Bechman's wife told the court Friday that it was difficult to report her experience because of Bechman's position and that he pushed the boundaries of a restraining order to control her without technically committing a violation. "He knows exactly how far he can go without being arrested," she said. She asked the court to sentence Bechman to jail time. "I lived in fear for decades and believe there must finally be consequences for what happened to me," she said. Bechman also made a statement to the court, apologizing for his actions and noting that he is trying to work on himself. "I'm haunted by this every day," he said. He also addressed those in law enforcement in connection to the count of misconduct while in office. "I betrayed your trust and our mission," Bechman said.  Recent stories by Racine Journal Times reporter Milana Doné |
Saturday, August 15, 2026
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Mount Pleasant man sentenced in child sexual abuse case
Milana Doné
RACINE — A 39-year-old Mount Pleasant man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison in connection to child sexual abuse allegations.
Matthew Wefler had been charged with one count of repeated sexual assault of the same child, one count of incest with a child, seven counts of child sexual exploitation and three counts of causing a child under 13 to view/listen to sexual activity.
At Friday's hearing, Wefler pleaded guilty to repeated sexual assault of the same child, incest with a child and two of the child sexual exploitation counts.supervisi
The remaining counts were dismissed but read in to the court record.
He originally entered a not guilty plea to all counts last November.
Wefler also was ordered to serve 10 years of extended supervision.
According to a criminal complaint, the FBI notified the Racine County Sheriff’s Office on June 24, 2025, about an investigation regarding the distribution of child sexual abuse material and a child sexual assault involving Wefler.
The FBI reportedly found “hundreds of pages” of chat messages in which Wefler and a man in Texas exchanged and discussed sexual content involving young children and Wefler’s dog.
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