Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
Shawano County has filed a response in federal court to a lawsuit filed by a former sheriff’s detective, denying charges that he was harassed and forced out of his job.
Wade Wudtke maintains he was targeted by Sheriff Adam Bieber and several members of the Shawano County Board over his support for then-incumbent Sheriff Randy Wright in the 2014 election.
The suit specifically names Bieber and five county supervisors who were serving at the time on the county’s administrative and insurance committee: Jerry Erdmann, Deb Noffke, Bonnie Olson, Gene Hoppe and William Switalla.
The suit maintains several County Board members “actively supported Bieber, donating funds, providing information and publicly campaigning for him.”
The group also included supervisors Marlin Noffke, Bert Huntington and Mike McClelland, according to the lawsuit, though they were not named as defendants.
The suit seeks damages for both past and future wage and benefit loss; compensatory damages for emotional distress, loss of reputation and loss of earning capacity; punitive damages against the individual defendants; and legal fees and court costs.
There is no dollar amount specified. However, Wudtke filed a notice of claim against the county in July maintaining he had suffered damages in excess of $50,000, including loss of employment opportunities, income and benefits, emotional and psychological distress, and loss of reputation.
The county’s response maintains that many of Wudtke’s allegations are “vague and ambiguous” and that county officials were acting within their authority under state law.
The response also maintains the six officials named “did not all ‘actively’ support Bieber.”
The county also maintains in its response that the officials were acting within the scope of their duties and are immune from suit under state and federal law.
A telephone scheduling conference in the case is set for June 7.
Wudtke’s suit demands a jury trial.
Wudtke resigned in March 2015, about two months after Bieber took office, and took a job with the Clintonville Police Department; a job that the suit maintains involved “harder hours and a much lower rate of pay.”
The starting salary for a Clintonville patrol officer in March of last year was $23,073. Wudtke was making $26.69 an hour in Shawano County.
The suit maintains Wudtke “was ultimately constructively discharged from his position as a deputy sheriff because of his protected political activities in violation of his rights.”
His suit maintains the resignation was the result of a harassment campaign that followed an incident at the Shawano County Republican Party picnic on July 22, 2014.
Bieber spoke at the picnic as a candidate for sheriff. Wudtke raised several questions with Bieber after the speech in an exchange that apparently became confrontational.
The incident led to an investigation by the county’s administrative committee, which hired an attorney to look into the matter.
The county has not released any information about the attorney’s investigation or what conclusions were reached.
The suit maintains that supervisors supporting Bieber in the sheriff’s race launched the investigation into the picnic incident to retaliate against Wudtke. It argues that Wudtke’s rights of free speech and political affiliation were violated, and that Wudtke did not violate any county policies or law enforcement code.
In addition to financial damages, the suit is also asking for a court order finding that the defendants violated Wudtke’s First Amendment rights.
Wudtke had been a deputy sheriff for Shawano County since 1999. He was hired as a patrol officer and became school resource officer in July 2006. He became a detective in December 2007.