Saturday, January 4, 2025
Some USPS workers stealing mail, according to report | Morning in America
UPDATE: Inmate who reportedly was assaulted in Racine County Jail has died
Annie Pulley
RACINE — An inmate who reportedly was assaulted by another prisoner Dec. 31 at the Racine County Jail was pronounced dead Jan. 1, according to a news release issued Friday afternoon by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.
Joseph Lee reportedly remains on life support as his family considers organ donation, according to his attorney, Jamie McClendon.
KCSO, which is conducting the investigation of the incident, identified Davonte Carraway as the alleged assailant and is recommending that the Racine County District Attorney’s Office charge Carraway with one count of first-degree intentional homicide.
According to online court records, Carraway has multiple cases pending in Racine County Circuit Court, one of which includes a charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
McClendon said Lee was transferred to RCJ from a correctional facility in Dodge County and was awaiting a hearing for a Racine County case in which he was facing multiple felony drug charges.
Lee’s next status conference had been scheduled for Jan. 10.
The alleged assault happened about 12:15 p.m. Dec. 31, according to a news release issued by the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.
The RCSO release said that the emergency buttons in every cell were functional, but none were activated.
RCSO has not responded to a request for further information.
Friday, January 3, 2025
Clergy Gone Wild: Judge suspends abuse case against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick until his death
Laura Schulte
According to online court records, on Dec. 27, Walworth County Judge David Reddy declined to dismiss the case against McCarrick but agreed to continue the suspension until the defendant dies. McCarrick did not appear in court for the hearing, and his attorney said there had been "extreme deterioration" in his health since the case was last in front of the judge in early 2024.
Prosecutors in Walworth County and the Department of Justice in 2023 charged McCarrick with sexual assault in a 1977 incident. He was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, and if convicted, McCarrick would have faced up to nine months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Prosecutors in Wisconsin charged McCarrick after someone reported the abuse to the state Department of Justice's ongoing clergy abuse investigation. The investigation is ongoing with no end date set.
In the incident for which he is charged, prosecutors said McCarrick groped an 18-year-old while they were both staying as guests at a residence on Geneva Lake. According to documents, the teen was in the lake off a dock when McCarrick and another adult man entered the water. Both groped him and discussed his genitals, the complaint alleges.
The teen tried to get away from the men and splashed and made noise, according to the complaint. He got out of the lake with one leg in his swim trunks and ran to the house. He got dressed and asked for a ride to the train station, according to the complaint.
The complainant said McCarrick began sexually assaulting him at age 11. According to the complaint, he reported several incidents in which McCarrick inappropriately touched or assaulted him before he was 18 years old.
McCarrick took the teen to lavish parties and events, the complaint said. The accuser also reported that McCarrick had taken him to an event where several adult men assaulted him. The accuser also said McCarrick had sex with him the day before the incident on Geneva Lake.
In 1977, McCarrick would have been 46 years old. He was a priest in the Archdiocese of New York and was working as the private secretary to Cardinal Terence Cooke. The incident is said to have occurred a month before McCarrick was named auxiliary bishop of New York. He would go on to become the bishop of Metuchen, N.J., then the archbishop of Newark and the archbishop of Washington. He was named cardinal in 2001.
McCarrick never lived or worked in Wisconsin but made visits to the state. He was able to be charged because the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse tolls, or pauses, if the perpetrator leaves the state and does not return, meaning a case can be charged at any point, instead of within a limited number of years.
The Walworth County charge is the latest development in a years-long fall from grace for the once-powerful cardinal. He was also charged in a Massachusetts case, which alleged he assaulted a teenage boy at a wedding in 1974. He pleaded not guilty in 2021. That case was dismissed last year, because McCarrick, who lives at a residence for troubled priests in Missouri, has dementia and was deemed not competent to stand trial.
McCarrick is the only U.S. Catholic cardinal, current or former, to be criminally charged with child sex crimes.
More:Case against disgraced Catholic cardinal suspended; McCarrick not competent to stand trial
His legal issues began in 2017 when a former altar boy came forward to report the priest had groped him when he was a teenager in New York. The next year, the Archdiocese of New York announced that McCarrick had been removed from ministry after finding the allegation to be "credible and substantiated," and two New Jersey dioceses revealed they had settled claims of sexual misconduct against him in the past involving adults.
Pope Francis defrocked McCarrick in 2019 after a Vatican investigation determined he sexually abused minors, as well as adults.
The two-year internal investigation into McCarrick found that three decades of bishops, cardinals and popes downplayed or dismissed reports of sexual misconduct. Correspondences showed they repeatedly rejected the information outright as rumor and excused it as an "imprudence."
The investigative findings released in 2020 pinned much of the blame on Pope John Paul II, who appointed McCarrick archbishop of Washington, D.C., despite having commissioned an inquiry that confirmed McCarrick slept with seminarians.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
Cops Gone Wild: Two guards at Milwaukee County Jail charged with abuse of inmates, misconduct in office
Drake Bentley
Two former correctional officers at Milwaukee County Jail face felony charges for abusing restrained inmates by repeatedly striking them, deploying pepper spray, and in one case pulling an inmate's dreadlocks, according to prosecutors.
Rafael Gomez III, 30, and Marques T. Reeder, 25, were charged Thursday by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. Both men are no longer employed by the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
Gomez, who was the supervisor on duty at the time of the incidents, was charged with abuse of a resident of a penal facility and two counts of misconduct in public office. Reeder received two counts of abuse of an inmate and two counts of misconduct in public office.
According to prosecutors, on Sept. 24, the two guards abused a restrained inmate, only identified by the initials SEH, who recently stripped down naked and threatened assault of the guards while in the unit that houses inmates on suicide watch. The officers would then make false and contradictory statements about the incident, prosecutors said.
Most of the events were captured on surveillance and bodycam video, authorities said.
Inmate repeatedly pepper sprayed, struck, complaint says
According to the complaint:
As Gomez and Reeder arrived for their 6 a.m. shift, SEH was already attached to a restraint bench in the hallway and was also wearing a belt that restricts movement of his hands, which are cuffed in front of him.
SEH was yelling threats and obscenities at the officers, which included Reeder. After being served a breakfast tray, SEH said he was having chest pains because he swallowed a piece of metal. Officers had Gomez and medical staff respond to the unit. The medical staff checked SEH's vitals and determined he should be escorted to the clinic.
Officers assisted SEH with getting dressed but SEH insisted that Reeder not touch him. SEH accused Reeder of threatening him the day before. Another officer told investigators that Reeder had threatened to "hurt" SEH.
Gomez did not attempt to replace Reeder as SEH grew increasingly unruly by threatening and spitting. Gomez and Reeder then unlocked SEH from the bench before attempting to stand him up and "stabilize" him so they could take the inmate to the clinic.
But soon, SEH was ordered to "get down" while Gomez and Reeder directed him to the ground onto his back and right side as SEH was "actively resisting," the complaint says.
Gomez then delivered two hand strikes to SEH's chest, according to prosecutors, before deploying two bursts of pepper spray. After the second burst, Gomez raised the spray canister and struck SEH's face twice, prosecutors said. Reeder then struck SEH twice, the complaint says.
Two other officers in the unit responded to help before Gomez deployed a third burst of pepper spray to SEH's face, according to the complaint. Reeder then grabbed SEH's dreadlocks, the complaint says.
SEH's level of resistance "lowered" when prosecutors said Reeder began rubbing his hands in SEH's face in an attempt to worsen the effects of the pepper spray. SEH began apologizing, saying, "I'm sorry, bro," as Reeder continued to rub his hands in SEH's face while Gomez held SEH's hands away from his face, the complaint says.
The officers moved SEH back to the restraint bench and they continued to strike him and pull his hair despite him not being resistive at this point, prosecutors said.
Gomez and Reeder would go on to give false statements about the events to investigators both in reports and during interviews, the complaint says.
Second inmate says he was abused
Reeder is also accused of abusing a second inmate, identified as TTS or Sullivan, in the complaint.
According to the complaint:
The inmate, TTS, was threatening to harm himself after witnessing the excessive use of the force by officers on SEH. Officers removed TTS from his cell and then moved him to a restraint bench before he attempted to spit on officers and tamper with the handcuffs.
About 40 minutes after officers removed TTS from his cell, Reeder approached TTS and began taunting him saying "spit" multiple times while holding pepper spray. TTS taunted back saying "spray me." After grabbing the inmate's neck, Reeder deployed pepper spray directly into TTS's face.
Officers scuffled with TTS, striking him as he resisted. TTS received a bloody nose during the incident but prosecutors said the clinic said he did not have any broken bones or fractures as a result of this incident.
Eventually, the officers decided that Reeder needed to be removed from the situation and initiated an "officer override," the complaint says. Similar to the first incident, Gomez and Reeder provided false statements in reports and during interviews, prosecutors said.
Both officers are no longer with MCSO
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office released a statement on Thursday announcing that both Gomez and Reeder are no longer employed by MCSO.
"MCSO holds its members to high standards, given the weight of our responsibility to protect and serve the public," the statement says. "Our commitment to those standards is evidenced by the fact that upon learning of these now-former officers’ alleged actions, MCSO detectives initiated and led a thorough investigation that provided the evidence needed for the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office to file criminal charges. Subsequently, these officers, who were still in their probationary employment phase, were separated from their employment with MCSO. MCSO will continue to cooperate with the District Attorney’s Office as these cases make their way through the criminal justice system."
Gomez and Reeder do not have permanent attorneys listed yet in court records.
Both inmates received pepper spray aftercare from medical personnel, prosecutors said. Authorities began investigating the incidents after the inmates made verbal complaints regarding excessive force being used, the complaint says.
More:Milwaukee County Jail audit finds suicidal inmates handcuffed for hours, lack of training
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Racine County Jail inmate seriously injured in assault on New Year's Eve
Chris Ramirez
Authorities are investigating an assault that occurred at the Racine County Jail on New Year's Eve that sent an inmate to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The incident was reported Tuesday around 12:15 p.m. in the jail's dayroom.
The Racine County Sheriff's Office said in a statement a corrections officer had just completed a safety and security check there moment beforehand as part of the department's protocol.
More:Panel upholds firing of former Milwaukee police detective convicted of disorderly conduct
The correctional officer continued to supervise inmates on the same wing when the inmate, a 35-year-old man from Racine, was attacked.
The officer found the victim unresponsive during their next safety and security check, and initiated lifesaving measures.
Security cameras in the dayroom captured footage of the assault, which Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said in the statement lasted "less than one minute."
All the emergency buttons in every cell were functional, but were not activated by any of the inmates who witnessed the assault, the sheriff's office said.
More:Darrell Brooks sentenced for intimidating witness before Waukesha parade killings
The victim suffered life-threatening injuries. He was immediately transported to a hospital, where he is currently receiving medical care.
The inmate who carried out the attack has been identified, and was segregated from all other inmates, the sheriff's office said.
The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident.
Wisconsin lags behind progressive states by not legalizing and taxing marijuana | Letters
The potential for substantial tax revenues that would accrue from the legalization of marijuana across the board is not a myth but an established fact as evidenced by the revenues reaped by our neighboring states of Illinois and Michigan, who both made millions last year.
Once again Wisconsin lags behind other, more progressive states concerning an issue that a majority of Wisconsin residents support. There are many reasons to legalize marijuana in Wisconsin, not the least of which is "the will of the people."
Susan Gambetta, Greenfield
Kristin Brey:Hotboxed Wisconsin must regulate delta-8 and have debate about legalizing pot
Opinion:UW-Milwaukee would be demoted by plan to split apart Wisconsin university system
Letters to the Editor:Evers is making same historical mistake as Democrats before the Civil War
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Wednesday, January 1, 2025
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Are you getting calls labeled 'spam risk'? Here's what that means and some tips to stop them
Tamia Fowlkes
For the past two months, 91-year-old South Milwaukee resident Dorothy Wiza's phone has been bombarded with spam calls.
Starting in November, while Wiza ate meals at her kitchen table or sorted through the mail, her Panasonic wall phone rang and rang while flashing the message "Spam Risk" across the caller ID line.
At first, Wiza said she thought "Spam Risk" was the name of a company trying to reach her.
"They were calling up to five times a day and then seven times by Christmas," she said.
Wiza asked Public Investigator for a solution to the ongoing problem.
"This goes on every single day. I don't know how this can be stopped," Wiza said. "I can't take this anymore."
Like Wiza, many consumers field dozens of scam calls and robocalls every day. Americans receive an average of 4 billion robocalls per year, according an October report by the Federal Communications Commission Robocall Response team.
Scam calls are the federal agency's top consumer complaint.
"The FCC estimates the cost of these calls to consumers is at least $3 billion per year from lost time alone," Babette Boliek, the former FCC chief economist, wrote in a 2019 report.
Though scam calls can sometimes be hard to avoid, experts have shared a variety of tips to keep in mind.
How do I know if I am receiving a scam call?
The Federal Trade Commission's Office of the Inspector General details that scammers often employ four common tactics to keep people on a call.
- They pretend to be from prominent organizations that people are familiar with
- They state that there is a problem or emergency that puts you or a family member at physical or financial risk
- They pressure you to share personal information and threaten you with things like hacking, lawsuits or arrest
- They demand that you send them money through wire companies, cryptocurrency, payment apps or gift cards
How can I block unwanted spam calls or robocalls?
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the best way to block and prevent unwanted phone calls is through call blocking and call labeling.
Many types of call blocking software and devices are available for both cellphones and landlines to reduce the number of scam calls and robocalls you receive.
Meanwhile, many cellular devices are equipped with software or devices that scan for illegal robocalls or scam calls and alert you if an incoming call is coming from a suspicious number. This is known as call labeling.
What does it mean if I get a call that is labeled 'spam risk' or 'spam likely'?
Many phone providers have embedded software into cellular devices that scan for potential scam calls. These calls might appear on your caller ID with a label of "spam risk" or "spam likely."
It is up to you to decide whether or not to pick up the call. If you answer and the call appears to be a scam or robocall, you can report it to the FCC or Federal Trade Commission.
If certain phone numbers are improperly identified as spam calls, users can notify their phone provider for correction.
How can I block scam calls on my cellphone?
A variety of scam call blocking apps are available in mobile device app stores like the Apple Store, Google Play or the Galaxy Store. Some apps are free, while others charge fees for additional features. The Federal Trade Commission advises users to read the reviews on each app and choose which app best serves their needs.
Cellular providers like T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Spectrum also usually provide anti-scam services such as "Scam Shield" or "Spectrum Call Guard," which provide additional scam blocking and reporting features if you sign up for them.
If you report a suspicious caller on these platforms, the cellular companies can prevent those numbers from contacting other people in the future.
From the archives:Text message scams are on the rise in Wisconsin
How can I block spam calls on a traditional landline?
If you have a home phone or landline, call blocking devices can be attached to your phone. The systems are commonly sold at stores like Target, Walmart, Best Buy and other electronics retailers.
According to the FTC, these devices use a database of known scam numbers to track and block scam calls, but also allow users to add numbers to the device. Other call blocking devices require users to create their own list of numbers to block.
Call blocking devices can have a variety of features, including flashing a blinking light when receiving calls from a blocked or unwanted number, connecting scam callers to a recording, sending calls to voicemail or providing do-not-disturb hours that only allow certain numbers to get through.
Why do so many spam calls come from local area codes?
This is because of something called caller ID spoofing.
Caller ID spoofing is when a person falsifies the information displayed on caller ID to disguise their identity. This might be through presenting themselves as a prominent company or government agency, or by acquiring a number with a local area code.
These callers might attempt to steal money or valuable information by falsely presenting themselves on a call.
What is the government doing about scam calls?
Since 2021, the FCC has worked to implement laws that require all phone companies to implement robocall defense software for consumers.
“While there is no single cure-all when it comes to robocalls, having this technology in our networks is real progress and we will continue to push forward with this and every other tool we have to fight these junk calls," said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a June 2023 statement.
As of October, more than 4,000 companies have completed installation of the required robocall-fighting standards.
U.S. PIRG Education Fund, a consumer protection advocacy group, reported that scam robocalls and illegal telemarketing calls have dropped by 17% since 2021 due to the new FCC laws. However, consumers have since noticed an increase in robotexts, which are not monitored by the system.
Other resources to avoid scam calls
- If you receive a scam call, file a complaint with the FCC Consumer Complaint Center
- You can also report an unwanted call by completing a form at DoNotCall.gov
- Register your telephone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry
- File complaints with the FCC by going to fcc.gov/complaints
Tamia Fowlkes is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at tfowlkes@gannett.com.
About Public Investigator
Government corruption. Corporate wrongdoing. Consumer complaints. Medical scams. Public Investigator is a new initiative of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and its sister newsrooms across Wisconsin. Our team wants to hear your tips, chase the leads and uncover the truth. We'll investigate anywhere in Wisconsin. Send your tips to watchdog@journalsentinel.com or call 414-319-9061. You can also submit tips at jsonline.com/tips.
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