Governor Doyle, doing the right thing, announced that he will promptly begin the removal process of Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz. (I’ve criticized Doyle on economic issues, but is doing the right thing, commendably in this matter, of victims’ rights and prosecutorial misconduct.)
Consider a second instance of misconduct, as reported in the story to which I have linked, above:
Earlier Monday, Doyle’s office released a letter from a second woman who says Kratz made inappropriate comments to her and even invited her to watch a crime victim’s autopsy.
In a letter sent Friday, the woman said Kratz contacted her on Match.com in December. She said they had dinner at a Green Bay restaurant in January, and that during the meal Kratz took several phone calls from detectives investigating the disappearance of a woman who investigators believed had been killed.
The woman, whose name was redacted from the letter, wrote that Kratz discussed several aspects of the case with her that had not been released to the public. The woman wrote that she and Kratz communicated by text for a couple of days after their dinner.
The woman wrote in the letter that Kratz eventually sent a text “inviting me to go with him to the autopsy (provided I would be his girlfriend and would wear high heels and a skirt).”
At the State Journal, there was an earlier report, before Gov. Doyle spoke, with additional, disturbing details about Kratz’s misconduct in the prosecution of a domestic abuse case.
It was misconduct for Calumet County D.A. Ken Kratz to send a domestic abuse victim vulgar, propositioning text messages while he prosecuted her ex-boyfriend for attacking her. It was far, far worse for Kratz to say that he might reduce the charges only minutes before he started propositioning her. (Kratz denied suggesting as a reduction only days ago; records made at the time, now revealed, show that he is accused of exactly that.)
[Crime-victim] Van Groll told state investigators the text messages started coming after she met with Kratz to be interviewed about the case. She said she thought it was odd he asked at the end of the conversation whether she would mind if he reduced the charge [against her attacker] from a felony to a misdemeanor, according to the Division of Criminal Investigation records made public Monday. She responded that strangulation is a felony.
Minutes after she left his office, Kratz started sending the series of messages.
Van Groll’s attorney, Michael Fox, said the discussion of a lesser charge gave the text messages greater impact. Van Groll told police she felt pressured to bow to Kratz’s wishes or worried he’d retaliate.
“She was frightened that, to the extent she didn’t at least be civil to this district attorney, that charge might be lessened and her greatest fear was that it would be dropped altogether,” Fox said.
“Whether intended or not, it amplifies the harmful nature of the statements he made to her.”
Kratz has hired an attorney of his own, and the latest AP story makes clear that the purpose of hiring counsel is to try to keep his job. (He’s not looking to protect himself against a civil claim, if any, from the victim, but to keep his official post.)
He must be removed from office, and the State of Wisconsin must be prepared to contest any attempt he makes to retain his post. Wisconsin district attorneys (through their own association), crime victims, legal experts, and several legislators have called for Kratz’s dismissal.
Governor Doyle is right to act, and swiftly, against an official unworthy of the public trust.
For prior posts, see Official’s Misconduct: Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz’s Treatment of a Crime Victim, Official’s Misconduct: Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz’s Treatment of a Crime Victim (Update), Official’s Misconduct: Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz’s Treatment of a Crime Victim (Update 2), and Official’s Misconduct: Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz’s Treatment of a Crime Victim (Update 3).