Groups that work on behalf of domestic abuse victims are calling for changes in Wisconsin law after it was revealed former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz will not be criminally charged. Kratz resigned last year in the middle of a scandal in which he sent a series of sexually suggestive text messages to a domestic abuse victim while prosecuting her ex-boyfriend.
The state attorney general’s office released an 89-page report on the investigation Monday. Agents looked into complaints from 15 women and determined insufficient evidence to prove the former D.A. violated any laws related to sexual assault or misconduct in office.
Beth Schnorr, who directs Harbor House in Appleton and Calumet County, says if nothing can be done to legally reprimand Kratz, they need to ask lawmakers to make changes to the state’s crime victims’ rights law.
The Wisconsin Coalition against Domestic Violence says, in a statement, this case could deter victims from coming forward. “When victims do not have confidence in the system, they remain silent, continue to suffer and abusers go unidentified. The Legislature should act to prevent these injustices in the future.”
Kratz now has a private law office in Kimberly.