Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Cops Gone Wild: Milwaukee County tracks officers with credibility problems. But the system is inconsistent and incomplete.
From JSOnline:
Ashley Luthern
Ashley Luthern
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A deputy falsifying jail logs. Officers stealing during a search warrant. An off-duty officer hitting a parked car after leaving a bar, then lying about it.
Imagine one of them arrested you.
Would you want to know about their past?
Under the law, you have a right to that information. How and when you get access to it depends on prosecutors, who file criminal charges and bring a case in court.
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office has a system for tracking officers with credibility concerns, allegations of dishonesty or bias, and past criminal charges. But it is inconsistent, incomplete and relies, in part, on police agencies to report integrity violations, an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, TMJ4 News and Wisconsin Watch found.
Read and see much more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2025/03/04/milwaukee-countys-police-officers-brady-list-is-inconsistent-incomplete-prosecutors/78390712007/
Three Racine County men enter not guilty pleas in separate child porn cases
From The Journal Times.com:
Annie Pulley
Annie Pulley
RACINE — Three Racine County residents pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges Thursday at the Racine County Courthouse.
Leroy Kolacinski of Racine, 64, pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of possessing child pornography; Melieke Nemeth of Racine, 18, pleaded not guilty to 10 counts; and Devin Katzman of Union Grove, 27, pleaded not guilty to four counts.
Each man is scheduled to appear in court for a status conference in April.
Six other Racine County residents have been similarly charged in 2025, according to Journal Times records.
Dustin Heddings and Tyler Deavers, both of Racine, pleaded not guilty earlier this month.
Ciquil Mangum, a 20-year-old from Racine, faces 11 counts and has yet to enter a plea. He is scheduled for a competency hearing March 24.
Also included in the total count is Michael Castagnino, a 41-year-old from the Town of Dover, who was arrested by investigators with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin State Patrol troopers after a warrant was issued.
Castagnino has yet to make an initial court appearance.
Crystal Lachman of Union Grove, who is 30, was charged Feb. 21 and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing March 12.
A 17-year-old from Racine faces 16 similar charges.
Possessing child pornography is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 fine, 25 years in prison, or both. Anyone convicted also can be ordered to pay a $500 surcharge for each image recovered.
Perhaps my view is skewed by the fact that I was sexually assaulted as a child by a family friend, a Catholic priest, and a juvenile court judge, but I think Racine is full of pedophiles.
Cops Gone Wild: Former Greenfield police officer recorded teen girls changing in school locker room, complaint says
From JSOnline:
Adrienne Davis
Adrienne Davis
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A former Greenfield police officer is charged with recording underage girls in a high school locker room while working at a private Milwaukee school.
Fernando Bustos, 41, of Greendale, faces a felony count of invasion of privacy with a surveillance device regarding an incident where a victim is under 18 years old.
Bustos worked as a security coordinator for Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, 1818 W. National Ave. in Milwaukee, before being fired, according to a criminal complaint. School officials did not immediately respond for comment.
Bustos served as a Greenfield police officer until 2020, when he voluntarily resigned, according to the Greenfield Police Department.
Documents show Bustos resigned after an incident where he mishandled evidence, which put him on the Brady list, a national documentation of law enforcement officers with a history of dishonesty, bias or past crimes. The archive can affect officers' credibility as a witness in court hearings.
Bustos was recorded setting up a camera at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
According to the complaint:
On Feb. 19, school officials told Milwaukee police officers Bustos was ordered to turn over his school laptop and iPhone after being fired, but he refused to give the items back. Bustos demanded to be allowed to remove personal items from the electronics before returning them.
Bustos also told staff he needed to retrieve personal property from a staff locker room before leaving. He was escorted by a staff member into the locker room before saying, "You wouldn’t want people to think the wrong thing of us in here together.”
Because of this comment, the staff member waited by the doorway, but noticed Bustos was taking an unusual amount of time to retrieve his personal belongings.
Bustos eventually exited the locker room with two full backpacks. Bustos showed the staff member a pair of shoes in one backpack but refused to open the other backpack.
A subsequent inventory of property items left inside Busto's office included a camera with an SD card inside. Staff checked the SD card and found it contained hundreds of 10-second videos taken inside the high school girls locker room.
The videos were recorded between May 21, 2024, to Feb. 1, 2025, according to the complaint.
A detective said a review of 379 videos with timestamps between Oct. 7 and 8 included one showing Bustos installing a camera inside the high school girl's locker room positioned toward the bathroom sinks. The footage showed Bustos closing a locker and locking it with a padlock.
No other cameras were found after police conducted a sweep of the school. Staff told officers the locker room is only used by female students in grades nine through 12.
Documents show former Greenfield officer was investigated before his 2020 resignation
Bustos was investigated for mishandling evidence ahead of him resigning from the Greenfield Police Department, documents show.
On Dec. 4, 2020, Bustos was the lead officer in an investigation of two suspects committing identity theft at Paul's Wine & Liquor 2, 4955 S. 27th St.
The suspects were arrested and items such as bottles of illegally purchased alcohol, cartons of cigarettes and fraudulent credit cards were seized from the suspects' vehicle by Bustos.
The stolen merchandise was loaded into Bustos' squad car at the scene. He later unloaded and photographed the recovered items before sending out an email to the department ― but two bottles of alcohol recovered from the scene weren't included in his photograph.
A few days after this incident, concern rose among detectives after they could not locate the two bottles of alcohol recovered from the scene. They were valued at $120 each.
A detective conducted a follow-up with the officers who were at the scene and police body camera footage was reviewed.
Bustos and the other officers insisted all of the alcohol was inventoried.
Bustos was seen on body cameras and surveillance footage with evidence taken from the scene, but the liquor seen on body cameras was never inventoried into property.
After reviewing the footage, detectives concluded Bustos removed two bottles of alcohol, but he never inventoried them into evidence.
Bustos resigned from his position on Dec. 29, 2020, before the investigation was completed.
The finished investigation determined Bustos lied about mishandling evidence and could not explain why the bottles were missing. Documents show criminal charges of theft and misconduct were supported, however online court records show Bustos was never charged.
Contact Adrienne Davis at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
This story was updated to correct a typo.
Monday, March 3, 2025
House Democrats launch investigation into NYC Mayor Eric Adams' dealings with DOJ
After months and months of Mayor Adams proclaiming that New York is a sanctuary city for illegal aliens, he did an about face when confronted with federal corruption and bribery charges. He allowed ICE into the city and the government dropped the corruption charges. What a sweetheart deal for our criminal "leaders."
Cops Gone Wild: Lawsuit accuses Denver SWAT of cover-up after raiding wrong apartment
I'm happy to learn that Colorado has ended qualified immunity for LEOs. All the other states should follow suit and disallow this license to commit crimes without penalty.
Racine Zoo taking steps to protect animals from avian flu
From The Journal Times.com:
Caroline Neal
and mammals, as well as domestic poultry and dairy cattle in the United States.
Caroline Neal
RACINE — Across the country, H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, or avian flu, has spread among animals, affecting farms, zoos and wild birds.
As of Feb. 18, avian flu has affected 12,064 wild birds, 162,586,638 poultry, and 972 dairy herds since 2022.
Lindsey Long, a wildlife veterinarian at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said the virus was first detected in Wisconsin in 2022, during which it impacted one wild bird and 10,220 poultry.
But the DNR has seen the virus re-emerge this winter.
“It’s important to realize that the CDC estimates the risk to the general public to be low from avian influenza,” said Dr. Darlene Konkle, Wisconsin state veterinarian and administrator at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “We have been dealing with a strain of H5N1 influenza in North America and in other parts of the world now for several years.”
Avian influenza, she said, is affecting wildlife populations, including birds
 |
| Konkle |
According to Konkle, Wisconsin has not seen cases in dairy cattle, but did have three cases in domestic poultry in December 2024.
Although avian flu has been around for years, this year is different, she said.
“(The United States has) seen more cases in domestic poultry earlier in the year than we did at the same time last year,” Konkle said. “The detection in dairy cattle in March of last year was also a detection in a new species. Whenever influenzas are detected in a new species, we pay attention and monitor those viruses really closely.”
In 2022, Long said cases were found in red fox, bobcat, fisher, skunk and otter.
“However, all of these weren’t considered transmitting to each other,” she said. “It’s because they were consuming waterfowl, likely that died from HPAI, so it’s not the same as the dairy cows where they’re transmitting it to each other.”
Though the risk to the general public is low, farms and zoos — including the Racine Zoo — are taking precautions.
Racine Zoo’s Dan Powell, curator of animal care and conservation, said staff had been expecting the virus to die down by now as avian flu usually peaks in the fall and spring.
“Usually, it correlates fairly well to the migration of other birds because they all group together for that migration,” he said. “Just like us, when it gets cold outside, we all huddle together, and then everybody gets the flu because we’re spending more time inside. They’re kind of the same way with their migration.”
With migration, he said, birds leave debris — such as fecal material, urine, food or bodies of birds that died from avian flu — which makes other animals susceptible.
When the virus didn’t die down this year, Powell said zoo staff members reviewed their safety practices.
Staff recently added a foot bath next to bird exhibits to clean their feet before entering.
“If you see the red tail hawk exhibit, there’s a keeper entrance door with a little vestibule, and right inside there, there’s always a foot bath or some booties to be able to put on for extra protection,” Powell said.
Two years ago, the Racine Zoo added tops to as many exhibits as possible so that fecal material from birds can’t fall into the exhibit, “which can be one of the major contributors to spreading the disease,” he said.
The zoo also put nets over the penguin exhibit to keep away ducks and geese, which would sometimes swim with the penguins.
In early February, the Milwaukee County Zoo closed its aviary to protect its birds from avian flu, but Powell said a similar step is not currently in the Racine Zoo’s plan.
“We don’t have an aviary similar to what they have, so we’re a little more spread out,” he said. “As it stands now, we don’t really feel like there’s too awful much that we need to do but definitely understand why Milwaukee made the decision they made.”
According to Konkle, separating species and increasing the distance between any domestic poultry or birds held in captivity from access to wild birds or their droppings is important.
“Each zoo is probably going to be a little different in how they assess their risk — because they’re all set up a little differently — and what they can do to increase their biosecurity and prevent introduction of disease,” she said.
Lately, Powell said, zoos have been focusing on the effects of avian flu on cat species.
“They’re quite susceptible to it, and it’s deadly to them as well,” he said.
Although preventing wild species from entering bird exhibits helps protect the zoo’s birds, avian flu can be introduced through the cats’ food supply.
“I believe the food supply for domestic cats and dogs, particularly the pelleted food, is considered very safe,” Powell said. “I can’t feed pelleted food to a tiger, and we can’t cook it. That makes it so that if it was present, then the virus would still be active.”
According to Powell, the United States Department of Agriculture recommendation for zoos is to feed animals meat that would have been for the human food supply.
The Racine Zoo confirmed with its food supply vendors that they follow the recommended practices.
“Essentially, the beef that we feed the lion or the tigers is the same beef that you would eat at home for your ground beef and that kind of stuff,” Powell said. “It’s just grabbed differently in the process and not as choice of cuts, and then cut differently so that it’s actually got a higher cartilage content.”
Racine Zoo staff also has maintained some of its COVID-19 safety practices, including wearing masks with the cats, primates and some birds, as well as monitoring their own health.
Powell said the zoo pays attention to the prevalence of the disease in Racine County and neighboring counties.
According to the DATCP, 96 birds from a backyard poultry farm were affected by avian flu in December 2024. Prior to December, there had not been a confirmed case in poultry in Racine County since 2022.
“My understanding is that birds that get it actually die really quickly,” he said. “The changes that we were making, or the things that we looked at early on, was in how we deal with found native species. So that instead of pulling those inside the building and then moving to another place for cremation or something like that later on, we just keep those separate.”
On Feb. 14, the DNR announced that laboratory tests confirmed H5 HPAI virus in a wild merganser collected in Milwaukee County.
It also received reports of sick or dead waterfowl, mostly mergansers, along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties.
According to the DNR, the reports involved less than 50 birds.
H5 HPAI virus has been detected in Dane, St. Croix, Wood, Brown, Racine and Milwaukee counties since mid-December, with the majority of reports consisting of swans and Canada geese.
This winter, the DNR confirmed that the H5 HPAI virus was found in a Canada goose in Racine County.
Though a virus is more difficult to control when spreading among wild animals, there are response measures that can help keep domestic animals safe, depending on the virus, Konkle said.
For poultry farmers or residents with backyard chickens, Konkle said it’s important to keep the birds away from any wild birds or wild waterfowl and to use clean clothing and equipment when working with birds.
Long said residents, especially those with backyard birds or who come in contact with sick or dead wild waterfowl, should be aware of avian flu.
“In terms of mortality events with wild birds, we’ve still only been seeing a few birds involved in those,” Long said. “However, we know the virus is still circulating and can still be involved in environmental settings.”
Cops Gone Wild: Former RSCO deputy sentenced to 55 years for sex crimes
From The Journal Times.com:
RACINE — Preston Kite, a former deputy with the Racine County Sheriff’s Office, was sentenced Friday to 55 years in prison for 21 felonies, most of which involved sex crimes against children and animals.
“I tell my kids from a young age, ‘If there’s a problem, run to law enforcement. They will help you,’” Judge Jon Fredrickson said to Kite in the courtroom. “If they ran to you, I don’t know what would happen.”
 |
Preston Kite sits next to defense attorney Tsz-King Tse at his sentencing hearing Friday. |
Kite, who is 38, was arrested and charged in February 2024 after he reportedly exposed himself to a man in a public restroom while in uniform.
Investigators reportedly found evidence that Kite exchanged pornographic images of toddlers and would text people about his sexual exploits with multiple different animals.
Soon after his initial arrest, Kite was charged in a second case alleging that he exposed himself to a 9-year-old boy he was babysitting.
Kite also was ordered to serve 25 years of extended supervision after his release, register as a sex offender and pay $620 in restitution.
Kite also owes $9,500 in surcharges for the counts of child pornography.
The 9-year-old boy’s mother made a statement in court and said Kite victimized both her son.
“I was taught police are there to serve and protect the community,” she said. “The last thing I ever expected was to have not only someone who took that oath but someone who I considered family to take advantage and destroy all that trust.”
According to previous reports, Kite’s case was investigated by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by a Kenosha County attorney.
At the time of his arrest, Kite was placed on administrative leave and his employment was soon terminated.
Prosecuting attorney Jennifer Tanck-Adams said during her argument that Kite had started to look into what was required to become an Internet Crimes Against Children detective.
The RSCO’s ICAC unit investigates child pornography cases like Kite’s.
Rehabilitation would not be the proper response, Tanck-Adams said.
Kite’s defense attorney, Tsz-King Tse, argued for a prison sentence of 10 years. He said that Kite’s parents abused substances and that addictive personality type factored into Kite’s pornography obsession.
“I believe, unlike the state,” Tse said, “that Mr. Kite’s life can be salvaged instead of being spent entirely behind bars.”
Kite, he argued, is at low-to-moderate risk of reoffending, and his risk will only decrease with age.
Kite also made a statement, apologizing to the children harmed as well as to Racine County and law enforcement generally.
“Finally, I apologize to my friends and my family whose lives I turned upside down with grief and sadness,” Kite said. “I had this addiction issue, and it followed me into my professional life.”
Fredrickson responded, discounting Kite’s defense and noting the threat posed by Kite’s inclinations.
“You served your country,” Fredrickson said, referring to Kite’s previous military service. “I respect you for that. I respect you for trying to serve in Racine County. But you did far more harm than I can see you ever did good here.”
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Only in Chicago: Why do city residents skip ketchup on hot dogs?
I lived in Chicago for ten years. I love Chicago dogs. When I lived near downtown Racine and Top Dog was in business, I ate there regularly. Never any ketchup on a dog!
Deadly measles outbreak grows in West Texas
Good, let those who eschew vaccines die off from their stupidity.
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Cops Gone Wild: Disgraced ex-Racine County deputy filmed himself raping child, gets 65 years
From JSOnline:
Chris Ramirez
Chris Ramirez
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
RACINE - A former Racine County sheriff's deputy who confessed to filming himself raping children and performing sex acts on animals will spend the next 65 years behind bars.
Preston Kite, 38, of Union Grove, pleaded guilty in November to 21 charges across two Racine County criminal cases, including those for possession of child pornography and bestiality.
The investigation also led to charges against Adam Westbrook, who at the time headed Outagamie County's Human Resources Department, and two other people.
At his sentencing Friday, Kite apologized to his victims and their families for his actions, and acknowledged he "betrayed the trust of the people."
Kite, his voice cracking at times as he spoke, said his mental health had careened into a "deep, dark spiral" at the time of the offenses, and that he began engaging in increasingly reckless and dangerous behavior to cope.
Racine County Circuit Court Judge Jon E. Fredrickson was unmoved. The judge said Kite's actions "tarnished" the image of law enforcement in Racine County and everywhere.
Kite was arrested Feb. 4, 2024, after an adult called 911 to report Kite had exposed himself to someone in a Racine County truck stop bathroom. He was on duty and in uniform at the time.
Kite's arrest triggered an investigation that led to the discovery of child pornography on his phone. Kite told authorities he received the videos from Westbrook, a friend.
Prosecutors believed Westbrook had earlier recorded the footage of a child at a Lake Delton hotel in January 2024, then sent them to the Racine County sheriff's deputy.
Other images retrieved from Kite's phone were graphic, depicting children being sexually abused and sex acts involving Kite with dogs and horses.
The investigation also resulted in the arrests of two other men: Jacob Boudreau, 30, of Appleton and Noah Thiel, 21, of Oconomowoc.
Westbrook faces a federal child pornography count as authorities say he took and shared videos of a pre-pubescent boy while at a Sauk County hotel in January 2024.
A judge in Winnebago County sentenced Boudreau to 15 years in prison, followed by 15 years of extended supervision.
Thiel was given a year behind bars and three years of probation after pleading guilty to bestiality crimes.
About a dozen Racine County Sheriff's employees were in packed into Fredrickson's courtroom to witness the sentencing, showing support for Kite's victims and the 74-deputy department whose reputation was damaged by his action.
One employee could be heard clapping after the sentence was handed down.
Fredrickson also ordered Kite to be placed on a lifetime sex offender registry.
Friday, February 28, 2025
MN "on Notice" by US Attorney General for Letting Trans Students Play in Sports | Lakeland News
So sick and tired of people trying to force girls to compete with boys in sports. Men are physically stronger. It's just a fact of life. Get over it.
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Teachers Gone Wild: Former Kenosha substitute teacher charged with 17 felonies alleging inappropriate messages to student
From JSOnline:
Alec Johnson
Alec Johnson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A former substitute teacher is facing 17 felony charges accusing him of sending inappropriate messages to a student.
Alexander Poyner, 32, of Kenosha was charged Feb. 25 in Kenosha County Circuit Court with 14 counts of sexual misconduct by school staff or volunteer. Each count carries a prison term of up to 3½ years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Poyner was also charged with three counts of exposing a child to harmful descriptions. Each of those charges also carries a prison term of up to 3½ years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 or both, according to the criminal complaint.
The court denied a request by Poyner's attorney, Benjamin Schwarz, to dismiss 16 of the charges. Schwarz did not respond to a reporter's request for comment.
According to the criminal complaint:
A 15-year-old student at Kenosha Bradford High School reported to school administration Oct. 28, 2024, that they had been receiving concerning messages on Instagram from Poyner, a former substitute teacher in the district. The student had originally reached out to Poyner to ask why he had been fired from teaching at the school. The student said Poyner told them that it was "too bad he was straight and too young" and made references to P. Diddy. Because of these statements, the student stopped messaging with Poyner, the complaint said.
A detective found that the messages sent to the student were "sexual in nature and explicit in content, with many of the messages having a sexual undertone, sexual context, or used in a way that was consistent with 'sexual humor,'" the complaint said.
When questioned by police in November 2024, Poyner admitted it was "probably unprofessional" for him to be communicating with the student. He described his conversations with the student as "dancing around the line" that some would consider "inappropriate." Poyner also said he was ashamed of what he did and said he had no intentions of doing anything sexual with the student and that "he did not intend for the messages to be construed in a sexual manner," the complaint said.
The complaint noted that Poyner was employed at Kenosha Bradford High School as a substitute teacher from October 2020 to April 2024.
He had also been a substitute teacher in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District from September 2021 to October 2024, when he was placed on administrative leave due to an internal investigation alleging misconduct. He resigned nine days after being put on leave, while the investigation was ongoing, superintendent Tarrynce Robinson told police. The district did not immediately respond to a reporter's message.
Poyner also worked in the Nicolet Union High School District in September 2024, the complaint said. According to a statement from the district to a reporter, the district used Poyner as a substitute for four nonconsecutive days in September and October 2024 but stopped using him as a substitute after learning of an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. A spokesperson for the DPI said it was investigating Poyner's licensure.
"Based on the information currently available to us, including our conversations with the Kenosha Police Department, it is our understanding that the situation was isolated and does not affect any Nicolet students," the statement said.
In an email to a reporter, Kenosha Unified School District communications officer Tanya Ruder said Poyner resigned in April 2024. Ruder declined to provide further details, calling his resignation "a personnel matter."
Ruder also provided an emailed statement from the district.
"Kenosha Unified is committed to hiring the most qualified teachers and staff to support our students. Our extensive interview process includes thorough reference checks and criminal background checks to ensure we select the best candidates. However, if an individual has not been convicted of a crime and a past employer does not disclose concerning information, there may be no way for us to be aware of their intentions," the district's statement said. "The safety of our students is our top priority. We appreciate those who bring concerns to our attention, as this allows us to conduct thorough investigations in accordance with local and federal laws while adhering to state statutes. We are dedicated to maintaining a safe learning environment and will continue taking all necessary steps to protect our students."
Poyner made an initial court appearance Wednesday, where bail was set at $50,000. He is scheduled for a March 5 preliminary hearing, according to online court records.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12.
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