'I want to apologize:' Former alderman now convicted felon, sentenced to 3 years probation for stalking



KENOSHA -- A Kenosha alderman, now a convicted felon, was sentenced on Thursday, March 22 for stalking. Now, there is political fallout.

John Ruffolo



John Ruffolo served as an alderman for the past 20 years. Now, he will start serving a court-imposed sentence of three years probation after pleading guilty to stalking an ex-girlfriend for years.

A criminal complaint says Ruffolo made hundreds of phone calls and texts to the woman. He would follow her in his truck -- once 15 miles, showing up at her home and workplace. When the attorney general's office served Ruffolo with an order to stop the stalking, he kept on.





"'Why won't you leave me alone,' she said to me in a phone call," said Robert Kaiser, "'You have crossed every boundary. You won't respect my limits.' This person told her, 'Oh, I respect your limits.' How? This person is telling him to leave her alone."

"I didn't realize I was causing those things. I do realize it now -- and I really, really am sorry to her and her family. I want to apologize to my friends, my family, my constituents, the community, the courts here," Ruffolo said in court.

The city attorney in Kenosha is looking into what to do to replace Ruffolo temporarily.

John Ruffolo



Meanwhile, there is an April 3rd election -- and Ruffolo's name is on the ballot. If he wins as a convicted felon, he will not be able to serve -- so the state elections board is working on that part of it.