By: Associated Press//October 17, 2013//
MILWAUKEE (AP) — An expected plea deal has hit a snag for two Milwaukee police officers charged with failing to intervene when another officer conducted illegal strip searches and body cavity searches.
Online court records suggested a deal was imminent for Jeffrey Dollhopf and Brian Kozelek. But at a hearing Thursday, Kozelek’s attorney, Patrick Brennan, told the judge negotiations were still ongoing.
The suspended officers’ trials were to begin Monday. Brennan proposed that if both sides don’t reach agreement by then, the trial can begin as scheduled. Judge Jeffrey Wagner agreed.
Both officers are charged with felony misconduct in public office and being party to the crime of illegal searches. The charges carry maximum penalties ranging from 13 to 17 years.
Two other officers have already been convicted of similar charges.