Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Marathon County Corrections Cover Up Continues

Two weeks ago, I reported about a corrections officer, Julie Christensen, who worked at the Marathon County Jail.  She was viciously assaulted by an inmate who was reportedly not receiving proper care for his mental health issues.

Christensen has been in intensive care ever since the attack.

The kicker was that Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger knew for more than six years that the conditions at the jail were dangerous. Reports done by independent experts clearly pointed out that the jail was overcrowded and understaffed.  To make matters even worse, it was also revealed that the county had the money to at least partially address the safety concerns, but Karger sat on it because austerity!

Days later, it was revealed that the jail intercom system was not working and had not been working for years.  And as the staffing issue, it turns out that Karger had the money budgeted for it's replacement for three years, but again sat on that money because austerity!

To "address" the dangerous conditions at the jail which Karger created through his austerity agenda, the county announced they were going to create a citizens panel.  When the panel was announced, it raised red flags all over.  The panel was clearly designed to help cover up the role that Karger and his austerity played in this tragic, but completely avoidable, incident.

The cover up continued this week, with Karger and friends sinking to even lower depths.  They are putting on great airs of pretending to finally listen to the correction officers.  The hypocrisy in this is sickening when one considers that the guards have been asking for changes for years, only to have Karger to deny them time and time again. The reason for his callousness was, of course, austerity!

Even more egregious, Karger forced the jail administrator, Bob Dickman, to resign, because he suddenly "lost faith" in his ability to do the job.  It is obvious that Karger is going to use Dickman as the scapegoat for Karger's own willful failure.

The assailant has been charged with aggravated battery with the intent to cause bodily harm and battery by a prisoner, both felonies.  However, due to his ill thought out agenda of austerity, Karger should be held just as liable for his role in this.

He intentionally withheld funds which could have decreased the risk of such an incident occurring.  He had the wherewithal to increase staffing and properly maintain vital safety equipment, but chose not to.  That isn't being austere, that is being intentionally and grossly neglectful.

And if the Marathon County Board doesn't take action to address Karger's malfeasance, they are also as liable.

The real kicker is that even if people had supported Karger for saving them a few bucks in the short term, they are going to pay much, much more in the long term.  Not only will the taxpayers be on the hook for her medical care and any long term disability, but you know there will be one or two lawsuits filed regarding this incident.  One for the obvious failure to address the known safety concerns in an appropriate and timely manner.  The other would be if they truly were neglecting the inmate's mental health issues.

The latest report is that Christensen has been in an induced coma and is only starting to be allowed out of it.  The doctors see a long road of rehabilitation ahead of her.

If you wish to help Correction Officer Julie Christensen, there has been a trust fund established in her name at Integrity First Bank, 101 Grand Avenue, Wausau, WI 54403.  Their phone number is  (715) 845-0900.

19 comments:

  1. This series on Marathon County is out of your league, Chris. Karger is a decent man, I've worked with him previously. You should stick to Milwaukee and leave north central Wisconsin to someone who knows what they're talking about.

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    1. Steve, tell that to Julie Christensen. Tell that to her young son. Tell that to the men and women who put their safety and their lives on the line every day.

      What Karger has done to his employees is unforgivable.

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    2. Did anyone happen to know that there was an incident prior to Officer Christensen's that involved a beating of an inmate for 45 min. He tried the intercom system .... he was sol

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  2. Steve Carlson is correct marathon county is out of your league, if you think Milwaukee is corrupt it isn't anything compared to marathon county. Keep digging my friend, keep digging. Beware though, they try to keep quiet those who actually tell the truth.

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  3. We know Bob Dickman & his family. The most decent folks you'd ever want to know and the community feels the same way. The community has lost some fabulous public workers.

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    1. I bet you liked Hoenisch as well .... hell ....u probably back Karger and his twin brother Walker

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  4. What happened to Julie Christensen is a tragedy. To proclaim, from 150 plus miles away, that this tragedy belongs at the feet of a single individual is somewhere beyond simplistic.

    Who are you getting your information from?

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    1. I'm getting it from trusted sources that are there and know what is really going on. I'm sorry if it bothers you, Steve, but the truth has to be put out there.

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    2. You are very accurate with your information ..... keep it coming ... the truth needs to come out .... there is so much more ..... Thank you for your voice

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  5. Steve, I am not sure where you are from or what your relationship is with Brad, but I can tell you from gound zero in the Marathon County Courthouse, 95% of the direct service staff and the majority of the county supervisory staff hold Karger directly responsible. He and his former boss, Mort McBain, knew what was going on, with an absent sheriff and a cynical administration, Dickman was preordained to be the fall guy in this. Too bad the mainstream media is in bed with Brad by being part of the "jail review committee". a full and objective review would result in karger's forced resignation, with the county going in a "new direction".

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  6. Anonymous, not even sure who you are.

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    1. no personal offense intended, but I would be targeted and forced out if you or the administration knew my name, such is the atmosphere in the marathon county courthouse and jail. do you think anyone is foolish enough to expose themselves without representation in the current marathon county work environment. It is much easier when your job is not on the line.

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    2. I agree Anonymous .....

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  7. This blog and the commenters on it should be calling for an independent review of this incident and the circumstances and facts which preceded it. If conditions at the jail are dangerous to staff then interested parties need to step up and hold a press conference on the steps of the courthouse calling for that independent review.

    To indulge only in unsubstantiated allegations supported, to date, only by anonymous blog commenters, is unseemly at best. At best.

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  8. Chris, you're doing a great job covering this situation. As someone who works in the Marathon County Jail, as a Corrections Officer, I can tell you that Brad Karger is a Dictator and anyone who speaks out publicly will get fired. His solution for the severe understaffing in the jail is not to hire more officers, but to increase the minimum number of officers on each shift by one person. ONE. Officers are now being FORCED into work 4 hours early for their shift. This means 2:50 AM for some. Officers are routinely be FORCED 4 or 8 hours over their assigned shifts and now there is talk of the County taking away vacation time that officers have submitted at the beginning of the year.

    I would love to see Brad work one day at the Jail. He would be crapping his pants. Karger is 95% to blame for officer Christensen's injuries and needs to be fired immediately.

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  9. There are many of us in the jail and courthouse who would like to thank you for covering this story. No one else is getting to the real facts of the story out. The local broadcast media is a joke and the Wausau Daily Herald joined the county in the cover up by placing one of their own staff on Karger's Jail Review Committee, which is simply a misdirection move designed to shift the community's focus from the past political decisions directly to the jail staff. on many occasions over the last decade, the county board, Karger and the sheriff's Dept have been formally advised and made well aware of the staffing and safety issues in the jail. Unfortunately, the media is happy to be spoon fed information about courthouse security, strip searches and other issues not relevant to the assault. Consequently there is little understanding in this community of the issues that resulted in Officer Christiansen's assault. Perhaps lack of interest and focus is because the assault happened to a Corrections Officer, with whom the public often has a hard time identifying with and understanding. if this were a law enforcement officer or firefighter all hell would be breaking loose. Instead with an inadequate media investigation, a muted community response and no union to speak up for us, we rely on Social Media and the blogs to investigate and enlighten the public.

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  10. Anonymous,

    No one has investigated anything, including Chris. That's why I wrote that you folks need to do a press conference calling for an independent review, which would be an investigation. Not sure what's hard to understand about that.

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    1. Steve, how would one even begin to put together a press conference? I totally agree w you. Explain who u think should lead it and so forth ...... it is a great idea ......but, it would have to be someone from another county .... if any Marathon County Employees would be the ones up front, I guarantee they would be terminated .... It may be hard to understand (I mean absolutely no disrespect) but these people in Marathon County's Administration are seriously dishonest/ crooked people. Case and point ....Did anything happen to Parks for covering up and not stepping up when Hoenisch was on constant holiday with his girlfriend? These officers are afraid .... they know retaliation all too well .... They need help

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  11. The panel that has been created to review safety issues in the jail is seriously a joke and yes Karger hand picked who he wanted. A brillant idea may be to ask the officers themselves. Now wouldn't that be a revelation. There is going to be an ex-chief of police on this panel ... one who I used to have alot of respect for. Until Bill went public (to the media) with an officers medical issues and then the Daily Herald actually printed it!!! This was an officer Bill fired and publicly stated that "his" officers were not to respond for back up when he called as he was hired by another police department a few miles down the road and Bill got away with that. Karger chose him as one of the panel members ..... Gotta love them "Core Values" Brad ....

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