Racine County Sheriff's Capt. Cary Madrigal has been placed on administrative leave.
Racine, Wis. - She was a little more than 2,400 votes away from becoming Racine County's next sheriff, but now, a Racine County Sheriff's Captain is on administrative leave.
Racine County Sheriff's Office Lt. Mike Luell confirmed to FOX6 Saturday, Nov. 7, that Capt. Cary Madrigal is on administrative leave "pending the outcome of a criminal investigation of another individual and a pending internal administrative review" of her actions.
Luell added the investigation has nothing to do with the election.
Captain on administrative leave
What they're saying:
"Captain Madrigal is not the focus or subject of the criminal investigation," Luell said.
Luell said as soon as outgoing Sheriff Christopher Schmaling learned relevant information, he decided to turn the case over to the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office to "ensure" the integrity of the investigation.
What we don't know:
The sheriff's office statement did not explain any of the details surrounding the case that led to Madrigal's leave.
Earlier this week, FOX6 learned that the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office took over an investigation from the Racine County Sheriff's Office that led prosecutors to charge 51-year-old Thomas Johnson, the district administrator at Union Grove High School, with two counts of child pornography possession.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators received a tip through an anonymous letter that said Johnson had inappropriate contact with current or former students.
Through separate downloads from his cell phones, investigators eventually found two photos that were grounds for the arrest and criminal charges.
But according to the criminal complaint, Johnson admitted to investigators that an unnamed Racine County Sheriff's Office employee visited him at his office on Oct. 22, four days before investigators came to talk to him.
"Thomas confirmed that he spoke with this RCSO subject about this investigation, prior to them speaking with him at his residence. This shows that Thomas had been told of the investigation involving him before it was assigned to RCSO Investigators," the criminal complaint read.
FOX6 has asked the Racine County and Kenosha County sheriff's offices, as well as the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office, if Madrigal is connected to the child pornography investigation.
FOX6 also reached out to Madrigal for comment but did not hear back.
The Source: This story was written using a press release from the Racine County Sheriff's Office, a criminal complaint, and reporting work conducted by Fox6 staff. It was reported from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.