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Former DOJ administrator accused of waving gun (UPDATE)

By: Associated Press//October 24, 2016//

Former DOJ administrator accused of waving gun (UPDATE)

By: Associated Press//October 24, 2016//

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Todd Richmond

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The former top detective at the state Justice Department was accused by his wife last year of waving his gun around and threatening her as their marriage crumbled after his old girlfriend re-surfaced, court documents show.

Attorney General Brad Schimel moved Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Dave Matthews into a policy-adviser position last week. Schimel said at the time he wanted a different management style in the state’s elite crime-fighting force. DOJ spokesman Johnny Koremenos said Monday that Matthews’ transfer had nothing to do with the allegations. Matthews declined an interview request through Koremenos.

Filings in Dane County Circuit Court suggest that Matthews and his wife, Robin Matthews, are embroiled in a divorce proceeding that began in 2014.

Robin Matthews asked a court commissioner in March 2015 for a temporary restraining order and an injunction against David Matthews. She said in a statement attached to the request that David Matthews had waved his service handgun around and harassed and intimidated her many times, once taking a knife to a counter. If she didn’t agree that his reasoning was better than hers, he would tell her that “there will be hell to pay, Robin,” she alleged.

She said she has had a long history of being afraid of her husband but didn’t elaborate on any specific incidents.

She noted that David Matthews’ old girlfriend located him online and had been a part of their lives since early 2011, texting, calling and emailing. When she asked for a “mental holiday” from the woman’s communications, David Matthews would get upset, she said.

Court documents show a sheriff’s deputy served David Matthews with the restraining order on the day Robin Matthews filed the request. She withdrew her request for an injunction six days later with no explanation.

Matthews relayed a statement through the DOJ’s Koremenos saying that he didn’t want to talk because the injunction request was withdrawn.

Koremenos said in an email that the agency learned of the restraining order the day it was served but never saw her statement and had no basis to take any personnel action. He didn’t immediately respond to a follow-up email asking why the agency never saw the actual allegations.

Koremenos did say in his original email that Matthews’ job transfer had nothing to do with Robin Matthews’ allegations and Matthews no longer carries a weapon because his adviser role isn’t a sworn law enforcement position.

Filings in the divorce case indicate Robin Matthews suffers from depression, anxiety, intense fear and angry outbursts.

Kathryn Grigg, Robin Matthews’ divorce attorney, didn’t immediately respond to a message Monday afternoon. Another attorney with her frim, Arthur Kurtz, said the firm doesn’t discuss family-law cases in the media.

Rhonda Hazen, the attorney who helped Robin Matthews’ withdraw the injunction request, also didn’t immediately return messages.

 

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