Racine County Sheriff's captain placed on administrative leave
Racine County Sheriff's captain placed on administrative leave
Racine County Sheriff's Office Capt. Cary Madrigal has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal review and the outcome of a criminal investigation of another individual by the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office. This comes just days after losing the sheriff's election.
RACINE - She was a little more than 2,400 votes away from becoming Racine County's next sheriff, but now, a Racine County Sheriff's Captain is on administrative leave.
Racine County Sheriff's Office Lt. Mike Luell confirmed to FOX6 Saturday, Nov. 7, that Capt. Cary Madrigal is on administrative leave "pending the outcome of a criminal investigation of another individual and a pending internal administrative review" of her actions.
Captain on administrative leave
What they're saying:
"Captain Madrigal is not the focus or subject of the criminal investigation," Luell said.
In fact, her role is not specified at all. However, the incident is related to a case that is now being investigated by the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office to "ensure" the integrity of the investigation.
Racine County Sheriff's Capt. Cary Madrigal has been placed on administrative leave.
Luell also said the investigation has nothing to do with the election.
What we don't know:
The sheriff's office did not explain any of the details surrounding the case that led to Madrigal's leave.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this week, FOX6 learned that the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office took over an investigation from the Racine County Sheriff's Office that led prosecutors to charge 51-year-old Thomas Johnson, the district administrator at Union Grove High School, with two counts of child pornography possession.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators received a tip through an anonymous letter that said Johnson had inappropriate contact with current or former students.
Prosecutors said investigators later found deleted sexual images of minors.
The complaint also said an unnamed Racine County Sheriff's Office employee spoke to Johnson in his office about this case before it had been assigned to an investigator.
"Thomas confirmed that he spoke with this RCSO subject about this investigation, prior to them speaking with him at his residence. This shows that Thomas had been told of the investigation involving him before it was assigned to RCSO Investigators," the criminal complaint read.
FOX6 has asked the Racine County and Kenosha County sheriff's offices, as well as the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office, if Madrigal is connected to the child pornography investigation.
FOX6 also reached out to Madrigal for comment but did not hear back.
What they're saying:
The Racine County Sheriff's Office released this statement to FOX6 News:
"I am writing this to respond to multiple inquiries from the media concerning Captain Cary Madrigal:
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office can confirm that, per the decision of Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, Captain Madrigal has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation of another individual and a pending internal administrative review of Captain Madrigal’s actions.
Captain Madrigal is not the focus or subject of the criminal investigation. This administrative suspension is absolutely not related to the recent election; however, once the relevant information came to the attention of Sheriff Schmaling, he took immediate steps to ensure the integrity of the investigation by turning the allegations over to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office will not be providing any additional information or comment at this time."
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Racine County Sheriff's Office, the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office, court records, a criminal complaint, prosecutors and an official statement from the Racine County Sheriff's Office.