By Kim McDarison

Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld has confirmed that his office has not brought charges against Whitewater High School Principal Brent Mansky following a recommendation sent to his office by the Williams Bay Police Department.

Responding to questions by phone on Monday, Wiedenfeld said he reviewed the recommended charges of strangulation and battery, simple assault, as recommended by the Williams Bay Police Department, along with the details of the department’s investigation and, he said, “made the decision not to bring charges at this time. If new information comes up we are not locked into a decision, but we are not issuing charges at this time.”

Wiedenfeld said that his office retains the ability to file charges at a later date regarding this, and every case it reviews, noting that a case can be reassessed in the event that new evidence is produced.

Regarding a decision to bring charges as being finalized, he said: “I would never say that, because you never know what will come up.”

Additionally, among points of interest regarding the homecoming-related toilet-papering incident occurring on Sept. 21 in Williams Bay, and the recommended charges which stemmed from the incident, he noted that, in Wisconsin, a state statute provides a “‘defense of property’ defense.”

Citing the statute, Wiedenfeld said, as stipulated within the statute, “someone can use force against another person to prevent or terminate unlawful interference with their property.” 

Would new information about the incident surface, precipitating a decision made by his office to make a different decision and file charges, that information would appear on the Wisconsin Circuit Court Assess website, Wiedenfeld said. 

An earlier story about the homecoming-related events in Williams Bay on Sept. 21, involving two juvenile Williams Bay students and Mansky, who is a resident of that community, along with the investigation leading to the Williams Bay Police Department’s recommendation of strangulation and simple battery charges, is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/williams-bay-police-refer-strangulation-simple-battery-charges-against-whitewater-high-school-principal-after-alleged-homecoming-related-incident/.