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Documents detail women’s claims against ex-Wis. DA

By: Associated Press//April 1, 2011//

Documents detail women’s claims against ex-Wis. DA

By: Associated Press//April 1, 2011//

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Former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz gives closing arguments during a trial at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton on March 17, 2007. The former prosecutor accused of sending racy text messages to a domestic abuse victim is not going to face criminal charges, the Wisconsin Justice Department announced. (AP File Photo/Morry Gash)
Former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz gives closing arguments during a trial at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton on March 17, 2007. Kratz, accused of sending racy text messages to a domestic abuse victim, is not going to face criminal charges, the Wisconsin Justice Department announced. (AP File Photo/Morry Gash)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Justice Department released 150 pages of documents Friday that shed new light on prosecutors’ findings that a former Calumet County district attorney repeatedly displayed sexually suggestive behavior at the office, but that it wasn’t illegal.

The Justice Department said Monday that it does not plan to charge Ken Kratz with sexual assault or misconduct in office after investigating claims from more than two dozen women who alleged Kratz sent them sexually suggestive messages.

One woman, Melissa Ruskiewicz, told investigators she asked Kratz for help in getting pardoned for a drug conviction and that she was “freaked out” when he texted her asking how she would “please him between the sheets,” the Appleton Post-Crescent reported.

A Calumet County social worker, Rebecca Hietpas, said Kratz sent her “creepy” emails, including one in which he wrote, “You can either flirt with me or not – you can’t have it both ways.”

According to the documents, Kratz also boasted about his work on several dating sites, including Match.com, Craigslist.com and Singlesnet.com.

Kratz’s attorney, Robert Bellin, said Monday that his office was investigating whether anyone lied in an effort to hurt his client. Bellin did not immediately respond to an email sent after-hours Friday seeking comment about the released documents.

Kratz, 50, resigned in October after The Associated Press reported he had sent 30 text messages trying to strike up an affair with a domestic abuse victim while he prosecuted her ex-boyfriend on a strangulation charge.

That woman, Stephanie Van Groll, has a lawsuit pending against Kratz.

Information from: The Post-Crescent, http://www.postcrescent.com

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