Racine stalking investigation, police officer dragged: complaint
Caprice Barksdale
RACINE, Wis. - A Milwaukee man is accused of stalking a woman and dragging a Racine police officer as he fled a traffic stop on Dec. 31.
Caprice Barksdale, 50, is charged with six felonies. Prosecutors said the stalking allegations date back several months before his arrest.
Racine police were called to a Linden Avenue home just after midnight on Dec. 31. A criminal complaint states a woman reported "an unwanted party" parked outside her home. She said she had an "ongoing problem" with Barksdale. When officers pulled up, Barksdale started to drive away – but other officers were able to conduct a traffic stop near Harbridge and Linden.
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The complaint states two officers, after discussing probable cause to arrest Barksdale with each other, approached his car. When the officers ordered him out of the car, prosecutors said Barksdale began to roll up his window and sped off – with one of the officers trapped in the window. That officer was thrown onto the sidewalk as Barksdale took a hard turn to get around a squad car. The officer suffered two femur fractures.
Another officer spotted Barksdale's car speeding east on 12th Street before it slid into a utility pole near Memorial Drive, per the complaint. Barksdale kept driving onto Linden Avenue and, later, back onto 12th Street. It was at that point the officer initiated a pursuit. Prosecutors said Barksdale reached speeds as high as 95 mph as he fled, and officers eventually lost sight of the car. He and the car were later found in Milwaukee.
Racine Police Department
The woman who reported Barksdale told investigators he'd come to her home three times in the hours before the pursuit, according to the complaint. She began to fear for her safety after she tried several times to get him to leave. At one point, she said, Barksdale told her "he would come in if he wanted to."
Police noted officers had been called to the woman's home numerous times over the past six months for similar calls; the complaint listed 18 such calls. In May, court filings indicate police gave the woman advice on how to get a temporary restraining order and advised Barksdale to "cease contact" with her.
In an interview with the woman, the complaint states she told police she'd met Barksdale roughly three years ago and they dated for two years. She said they broke up because Barksdale was "trying to move into the house, get married, and have children. He was being desperate." She said they broke up in June 2023, and also mentioned she feared she'd have to rent or sell her home to get out of the situation.
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According to the complaint, the woman alleged Barksdale had been showing up outside her home in rental vehicles before he bought the car he drove during the Dec. 31 pursuit. She said she believed Barksdale was "trying to hurt or kill her" and would show up unannounced at "all different hours and countless times."
In all, Barksdale is charged with:
- Stalking
- Vehicle operator fleeing/eluding an officer (resulting in great bodily harm)
- First-degree reckless injury
- Felony bail jumping (three counts)
Barksdale made his initial court appearance Wednesday, Jan. 3. His cash bond was set at $25,000.