Kenosha County sheriff's deputy charged with misconduct, marijuana possession

KENOSHA — A Kenosha County sheriff’s deputy is charged with misconduct in office and possessing marijuana.

A criminal complaint accuses 32-year-old Brian Houtsinger of filing a false report about the arrest of a man for bail jumping and of failing to file a report about marijuana he had confiscated during a vehicle stop. The complaint says Houtsinger later told authorities he threw the bag of marijuana in the trash at a nearby gas station.

The Kenosha News reports prosecutors say marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found in the deputy’s squad car. The complaint says more than 13 grams of marijuana, packaging material and a digital scale were found in the trunk. Houtsinger told investigators the marijuana had been there for months and that he had gotten it from a “young black kid.”

Court records do not list an attorney for Houtsinger.