Racine County Sheriff’s Office Captain Cary Madrigal has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation involving another individual and an internal administrative review of her actions, officials confirmed Saturday.
“The Racine County Sheriff’s Office can confirm that, per the decision of Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, Captain Madrigal has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation of another individual and a pending internal administrative review of Captain Madrigal’s actions,” a Racine County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said in a statement. “Captain Madrigal is not the focus or subject of the criminal investigation.”
Madrigal, a Republican, lost the Nov. 3 general election for Racine County Sheriff to Democrat Donald Vandervest. She had won the August Republican primary over Henry Perez. Outgoing Sheriff Christopher Schmaling is not seeking reelection after 16 years in office.
Madrigal has worked for the Racine County Sheriff’s Office for about 26 years and has served as captain for roughly the past six years, overseeing the operations division. She previously rose through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant.
“This administrative suspension is absolutely not related to the recent election; however, once the relevant information came to the attention of Sheriff Schmaling, he took immediate steps to ensure the integrity of the investigation by turning the allegations over to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office,” a Racine County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said.”
Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office recently took over an investigation from Racine County that led to charges against Thomas Johnson, the district administrator at Union Grove High School, on two counts of child pornography possession.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office has not released further details about the circumstances that prompted the leave or the internal review.
