John Nelson, mayor of Franklin and a lieutenant in the Waterford Police Department, is currently suspended from the police force pending the outcome of the investigation.
Nelson calls this investigation a “fishing expedition” and says he still doesn’t know what it’s about.
The first official confirmation of the suspension of Nelson and Lt. Bill Jeschke came from Waterford City President Teri Jendusa-Nicolai in a statement on her Facebook page on August 22.
Nelson and Jeschke were suspended on May 6, Nelson said.
They are not the only officers recently suspended and investigated in Waterford. Jendusa-Nicolai confirmed that officer David Ferger is no longer with the City of Waterford due to a recent separation agreement. Public records obtained by the Journal Sentinel show that Ferger’s firing was related to a complaint of falsehood.
Another officer, Nate Schweitzer, has also been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
In her statement, Jendusa-Nicolai said the investigations against Nelson and Jeschke were nearing completion.
“Although it was stated at a recent board meeting that the investigation would be completed in August, officials recently requested that their interviews be postponed, which will result in the process being completed in September,” Jendusa-Nicolai said.
Nelson disagreed with this argument.
“We are not delaying it, that is an absolute lie,” he said. “I can be interviewed any time they want.”
Nelson started with the department in 2015 and said Jeschke has been there for 21 years.
The Journal Sentinel has been working with publicly available records since May and contacting the city of Waterford, the police union, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office, the Racine County District Attorney’s Office and others directly to get official confirmation of which officers are under investigation and why.
Nelson said he had not been informed of the charges or allegations against him.
“We’ve been sitting here since Monday, May 6, waiting to be interviewed,” he said. “That’s all I know. We’re waiting to be called in for our interviews. We’re waiting to hear what the charges are.”
Nelson had a question for Jendusa-Nicolai: “What did you know on May 6 that led to such drastic action?”
Jendusa-Nicolai did not provide any further information about the investigations against Nelson and Jeschke at this time, citing the need for due process.
“This is not a way to hide things. It is about following protocol and ensuring the integrity of the process,” she said in her statement.
The Waterford Police Department, which serves both the City and Village of Waterford, was already understaffed prior to these suspensions due to the retirement of Police Chief Matt Johnson in January.
The Racine County Sheriff has “kindly agreed to assist our remaining personnel to ensure smooth service and not compromise public safety,” Jendusa-Nicolai said in May.
This agreement is still in effect, but has reportedly caused tensions within the police department.
Jendusa-Nicolai said officers employed by the city “engaged in misconduct that requires attention and action,” including “insubordination and persistent disobedience of officers supervised by Racine County Sheriff’s Office officials.” She also alleged that some officers neglected their duties.
Contact Erik S. Hanley at [email protected]. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadlinerand follow him on X @Redheadliner.
