Waterford officers will not be charged

By Marci Laehr Tenuta
The Journal Times

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 1:40 PM CST

TOWN OF WATERFORD - Criminal charges will not be filed against two town of Waterford police officers involved in an alleged drunken altercation this past weekend.

Racine County District Attorney Michael Nieskes released a statement in a press release Wednesday that said, "Based on the investigation that there were no injuries, no use or display of weapons, an ordinance disorderly conduct was determined to be the appropriate disposition."

Officers Michael Geiger, 39, and Michael May, 33, were suspended with pay from the police department earlier this week. Town of Waterford Police Chief Tom Ditscheit said an internal investigation into the incident that involved the officers is ongoing.

The press release from Nieskes also summarized the events, because of, "erroneous reporting in various media outlets as to what occurred."

According to the summary, a juvenile resident of the home contacted law enforcement at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. The report continued, "Officers responded and found off-duty officers Michael Geiger and Michael May had been drinking and had engaged in a disturbance at the home. A further investigation showed that neither individual suffered any physical injuries nor was there any display or use of weapons during the incident, contrary to what has been reported in the media."

Ditscheit said the internal investigation is separate from the District Attorney’s. No determinations have been made yet regarding possible discipline by the police department.

The suspensions have put a considerable strain on the town department, which only has six full-time officers and 13 part-time officers. Both Geiger and May are full-time.

Ditscheit said they are currently using part-time officers to fill in. "We are not at the point of not being able to maintain safety here," he said.

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