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| Wis. Officer Accused of 'Bouncing' Inmate's Head |
| By Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers |
| Published: 08/05/2003 |
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A Waushara County (Wis.) police officer accused of 'bouncing' an inmate's head against the floor numerous times could serve more than 10 years in prison if convicted of criminal charges. Shannon G. Schwersenska, 33, was charged in Columbia County Circuit Court with acting in excess of his lawful authority, abusing an inmate and battery while on duty at the Waushara County jail Oct. 12, 2002. Schwersenska has been released on a $10,000 signature bond. A pretrial conference is set for Aug. 22 in Portage. The charges stem from an incident in which Schwersenska forced an inmate to the floor, grabbed his head and bounced it on the floor five to 10 times after the inmate spat in his face, according to a criminal complaint. The incident occurred as Schwersenska and another jailer escorted the inmate to a segregation unit for a rule violation, the complaint said, and that the inmate sustained facial injuries. In addition to the criminal charges that are being handled by Columbia County special prosecutor Jane Kohlwey, Schwersenska was placed on paid administrative leave on April 13 pending the outcome of the criminal charges, said Waushara County Administrator Deb Behringer. Independent of the Columbia County criminal investigation, Waushara County Sheriff David Peterson conducted an internal investigation that took more than six months to complete. There were several reasons it took so long, Peterson said. 'It happened when the old sheriff was here, so there was that transition. The consequences are quite severe and we wanted to make sure we didn't do anything we shouldn't do,' Peterson said. Following the internal investigation Peterson recommended to the County Board July 15 that Schwersenska be fired. Now it's up to members of Waushara County's personnel committee to decide whether they'll go along with Peterson's recommendation, said Waushara County Corporation Counsel Ruth Zouski. Schwersenska has requested a hearing but no date has yet been selected, Zouski said. |
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