Domestic Abuse Victim: I Had ‘Sexual Encounter’ With ‘Sexting’ Former DA

Calumet County DA Kenneth Kratz
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New court documents from the Wisconsin Department of Justice show that one of the state’s witnesses against former District Attorney Kenneth Kratz was a woman who alleged that in 1999 she had a “sexual encounter” with Kratz at her home, while he was handling her domestic abuse case against her husband.

There are reportedly five women who have accused Kratz of behaving inappropriately during his time as DA, including several women who claim he sent them sexually suggestive text messages. Another woman claimed Kratz invited her on a date to an autopsy.

Kratz was scheduled for a court hearing on October 8, but resigned before he was due in court.

Kratz, who is now facing charges from the Wisconsin DOJ, is also being sued by Stephanie Van Groll, who originally came forward with allegations against Kratz. Kratz later admitted to sending Van Groll text messages while handling her case, including one that said: “Are u the kind of girl that likes secret contact with an older married elected DA…the riskier the better? Or do you want to stop right now before any issues?”

The new documents show that a confidential informant might have testified on October 8, had Kratz not resigned. The Fond du Lac Reporter in Wisconsin reports:

In the document filed by Thomas Storm, an assistant state attorney general, the confidential informant would have testified about Kratz’s “sexual conversations in e-mails and on the phone,” the sexual encounter, his comments about his ability to influence the custody dispute for her children in a divorce proceeding and her concerns about not wanting to upset him for fear of not getting custody of her children.

Kratz’s attorney Rob Bellin says this is just part of a “smear campaign” by the prosecution, and that “the contact (between Kratz and the unidentified woman) was months after her husband’s case was closed” and his “understanding is she told the Department of Justice that everything was consensual.”

Full coverage of Kratz here.

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