Thiensville ammo investigation, former police officer gets probation
THIENSVILLE, Wis. - A former Thiensville police lieutenant accused of using his position to buy cheaper ammo has been sentenced to one year of probation, the district attorney's office said Wednesday, Oct. 25.
Chad Wucherer was originally charged with two counts of felony misconduct in office. The district attorney's office said he pleaded to a single, amended, misdemeanor charge of attempted misconduct in office.
As the man in charge of buying ammunition for the Thiensville Police Department, prosecutors said Wucherer went beyond that – adding in orders for his friend, a sales rep at Streicher’s Police Equipment and for fellow officers’ personal use – all using the Thiensville Police Department’s account to get a tax-free ammo discount without authorization from the village or the police chief.
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The investigation into Wucherer began in September 2022.
Court documents said a lieutenant from another agency found that Wucherer placed an order in January 2021 – during a shortage when ammo was hard to get and expensive. When the deliveries came in, the criminal complaint said the chief observed there seemed to be significantly more ammunition than what the department normally got and that an administrative assistant grew suspicious, watching Wucherer holding and giving out ammunition from his office at the police department.
Prosecutors alleged Wucherer made orders for Streicher’s that were tax-free, allowing them to sell the ammunition to customers and make more money.
"Additional ammunition consisting of at least 105 cases was made through the Village of Thiensville’s account," the criminal complaint against Wucherer read. "This was all done utilizing the Thiensville Police Department’s tax-exempt form signed by Chief (Curt) Kleppin without his consent. Streicher’s subsequently sold this ammunition to other customers at a higher profit margin as Streicher’s had purchased it at the State department rate."