Kenosha Police Officer Arrested For Felony Child Abuse – Racine DA Refuses To Prosecute

Copied!
Officer Matthew Eakins, Kenosha Police

Matthew Eakins was hired as a police officer with the City of Kenosha in the summer of 2018. The three-year veteran of the department is described as a hard-working, good cop by those who work with him.

Paid Advertisement

Incident

Paid Advertisement

On November 4, 2020, Eakins found himself on the other side of the criminal justice system. Eakins’ wife called 9-1-1 at about 10 o’clock in the morning to report that her husband had abused their son. The Kenosha Police Department quickly alerted the Sheriff’s department as per their policy. Three Sheriff’s deputies, a supervisor, and two detectives responded. The Sheriff’s department seemed to do everything by the book. They interviewed Eakins, his wife, and the children. Eakins’ wife told deputies that Eakins and her relationship was getting worse and she wants to leave. She said, however that she can’t because he controls all of the money. She does get an allowance for things she needs, but usually spends it on the children. She said her husband demands sex ftom her on a daily basis. He constantly “gropes” her without permission. This behavior, she said caused a verbal fight this time. They began to argue and their 9-year-old son came to figure out what the issue was. The son got mad after his mother told him that Eakins was touching her without permission. That’s when Eakins picked up his son and pretended to through him down the basement stairs, saying “should I throw you down the stairs?” Eakins said he was kidding. The child started to scream and cry, apparently terrified. Eakins then knocked the child down and took a 26″ wooden toy broom and hit him about three times. Deputies photographed large welts on the boy’s lower back but not the injuries on his buttocks. Eakins admitted to hitting his son with the broom and said it was common to use an object such as a shoe or wooden spoon to discipline his children, as they would laugh when he would use his hand and say “that didn’t hurt!”

Paid Advertisement
Racine DA Patricia Hanson (R)

Arrest

Paid Advertisement

With nearly a century of law enforcement experience between the six deputies, they made the tough choice – they arrested another cop. They felt that probable cause existed for the arrest. He was taken to the Racine County Jail and booked on one count of Felony Child Abuse – Recklessly Causing Harm. The veteran detective recommended that Eakins be criminally charged, like he has done many times in his career spanning more than two decades. He faced more than 3 years behind bars. In most cases like this, Eakins would have seen a judge and been charged the next day, or soon thereafter. He wasn’t. The Racine District Attorney, Patricia Hanson and her assistants were already starting the process of making this go away – that is, even before the forensic interviews of the children were done and reported the next day at Children’s Hospital. The detective even seemed to be frustrated with this extreme leniency, writing in his report, “the Racine DA’s office was working on some sort of deferred prosecution for this case.” This was the day after the arrest before all of the reports were done. This decision was made before all of the facts could be reviewed.

Paid Advertisement

Get out of Jail Free Card

Hanson approved a deal that allowed Eakins to not be charged with any crime as long as he completed some classes:

Children First
Focus on Fathers
Parenting
Anger Management
Domestic Violence
6 Hours of Conflict Resolution

Eakins was not disciplined by the Kenosha Police Department.

Opinion
It is important to note that we ran into tough opposition obtaining some of these records. The Racine County Sheriff’s Office didn’t want to give us Eakins’ mugshots. After much debate, we got them. Patricia Hanson took a month to email us the PDF of the deferred prosecution agreement. She responds to us frequently, but ignores emails when we ask her tough questions, like “Would John Q. Citizen get this same treatment?” She didn’t respond. We didn’t think she would. She has a history of making political charging decisions just like her friend Mike Graveley.

If this case was charged, maybe Eakins could have convinced a jury he didn’t mean to injure his child. Maybe there are circumstance we aren’t privy to that would help Eakins’ case. Maybe he would have taken a misdemeanor plea deal. KPD probably would have ran into a union/legal problems if they disciplined him – after all, he was never charged with a crime. We don’t fault the department.

Eakins might be a hard-working, good cop like others have told us, but here is the problem: he was treated differently by the Racine DA’s office because of his occupation. He shouldn’t have been. Police Officers have a tough job and 99% are heroes, but we need to treat cops the same as everyone else.

If anyone is wondering about the local newspaper, please know that they were made aware of this incident and made the choice not to report on it. This won’t surprise many folks.

Author

Copied!
LATEST NEWS

Governor Tony Evers Denies Pardon For Kenosha County Serial Arsonist

Silver Lake, Wis. – Governor Tony Evers (D) has denied the pardon application of 48-year-old Allen M. Dunski, Jr., a former firefighter and convicted serial arsonist from Kenosha County’s west side. The rejection, issued on November 15, 2024, came despite Dunski’s claims of rehabilitation and community service. A letter sent to Dunski by the Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board stated: “While the Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board commends you for the positive strides you have taken since completing

Read More »

Kenosha Man Charged with Repeated Sexual Assault of a Child, Held on $1M Bail

Kenosha, Wis. – A 43-year-old Kenosha man was formally charged today with Repeated Sexual Assault of a Child in Kenosha County Circuit Court. If convicted, Jesus Alcocer-Bautista faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison. During his court appearance, Kenosha County District Attorney Xavier Solis requested a $1,000,000 cash bail, citing the severity of the allegations and the need to protect the community. Kenosha County Circuit Court Commissioner William Michel II granted the request and

Read More »
MORE TOP STORIES

10-Year-Old Girl Still Too Terrified To Return To School After Sexual Assault on Bus

**Explicit Content** Kenosha, Wis. — A 10-year-old girl from Nash Elementary School remains too afraid to return to school months after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by two male students on her bus ride home. Despite criminal charges, Title IX investigations, and pleas from the child’s mother, the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) has yet to remove one of the accused students from the school, leaving the victim in limbo. KCE first reported on this matter

Read More »

Two Twin Lakes Men Arrested On Child Pornography Charges

Twin Lakes, Wis. – Two Twin Lakes men have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography following separate investigations by the Twin Lakes Police Department (TLPD) and the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Arrests and Charges Nathan H. Bollow, 20, and Micah D. Griffiths, 20, were taken into custody in January 2025 after search warrants were executed at their respective residences. Bollow was

Read More »

Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office Welcomes K9 Joy, A Peer Support Dog

Kenosha, Wis. – The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) has a new four-legged recruit. Sheriff David W. Zoerner announced today the addition of K9 Joy, a law enforcement peer support dog, to the department. K9 Joy’s handler, Detective Adam Barnard, is a 10-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, currently serving in the detective bureau as a general assignment detective. Detective Barnard also plays a key role as a lead investigator on the Major Crash Assistance Team

Read More »

Kenosha Judge Reversed Again as Court of Appeals Overturns Child Custody Ruling

Kenosha, Wis. – Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Chad Kerkman (D) has once again found himself overruled by a higher court. On January 22, 2025, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals reversed a ruling made by Kerkman in a child custody case, marking yet another instance in which his decisions have been overturned—spanning cases from homicide convictions, public records cases, and even termination of parental rights. In the latest reversal, the Court of Appeals sided with a

Read More »

Kenosha Murder Trial: Defendant to Represent Himself in Court

Kenosha, Wis. — “The man who represents himself has a fool for a client.” – Abraham Lincoln. A high-profile murder trial is set to begin later this year, with 35-year-old Tiron M. Washington opting to represent himself despite facing life in prison. Washington is accused of orchestrating the December 10, 2021, assassination of 35-year-old Maximmillion A. Moore in what prosecutors describe as a hit-style execution. A Murder Linked to Federal Gun Investigation According to investigators, Moore

Read More »

KUSD To Host 62nd Orchestra Festival

Kenosha, Wis. – Kenosha Unified School District’s 62nd annual Orchestra Festival will be presented on Saturday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m. at Indian Trail High School and Academy, 6800 60th St. This event will showcase nearly 1,400 elementary, middle, high and charter school orchestra students. Tickets are available at kusd.edu/tickets. Field house seating is $10 (a maximum of 3). Tickets will not be available at the door and field house seating may sell out in advance. The

Read More »

City of Kenosha Employee Charged with Misdemeanor Theft From Taxpayers

Kenosha, Wis. – A City of Kenosha employee has been charged with one count of misdemeanor theft, according to court records. Jamie D. Watkins, a 54-year-old arborist employed by the city, is accused of stealing Menards rebate checks meant for the Parks Department. Watkins is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on February 27, 2025. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of nine months in jail, a $10,000 fine, and possible restitution. City Administrator

Read More »

Casey Family Options Funeral Home Accused of Predatory Practices, Families Speak Out

Kenosha, Wis. – A Kenosha-based funeral home, Casey Family Options Funerals & Cremations, is facing public scrutiny after a family accused its directors of predatory behavior, price gouging, and a lack of compassion during their times of grief. Allegations from Grieving Sisters Two women, Alexis Quirk and Kiki Nicole, recently took to social media and Google reviews to share their troubling experiences with the funeral home. Their accounts describe an ordeal that exacerbated their grief as

Read More »

Vote No On February 18 To Give KUSD $115 Million Dollars: Opinion

Do not miss your chance! You have between now and February 18th to VOTE NO on KUSD’s $115 Million property tax increase. Last week, newly reported national NAEP test scores – also known as the Nation’s Report Card – revealed that 69% of Wisconsin K-12 students cannot READ at grade level. The math scores were nearly just as abysmal. Wisconsin ranks dead last in teaching black students to read, and the opportunity gaps in math are

Read More »

Follow The Money on KUSD Referendum Campaign

Wondering where all of the KUSD referendum propaganda is coming from? Not surprisingly, this aggressive effort to tax you out of your homes is coming from the teachers’ union. People are still struggling to afford gas and groceries, but the teachers’ union believes they deserve more of your hard earned money than you already contribute. It’s in your mailbox, on your social media, and you can’t scroll YouTube without seeing their constant ads. Quite a hefty

Read More »
Categories
Archives
Authors

11 Responses

  1. I’m sorry…..but the only thing I can think of when looking at these pics is that Hanson is really the one who got hit with the stick…..the ugly stick. I mean WTF.

  2. This officer appears to be a complete control freak. That tendency is often found in officers who engage in brutality. He was hired not too long ago. I am surprised this trait wasn’t identified in a pre-employment psychiatric exam. I should have been. Maybe the city should look into the effectiveness of that part of their selection process.

  3. Wife can’t leave because Eakins controls all the money.
    Looks like she’ll leave though, when there ain’t no money.
    I really feel sorry for his kids. The husband & wife need to be on the same page when it comes to family structure and apparently this is not the case.

  4. She is a horrible DA and had that would’ve been a regular person not working with them she would’ve locked them up and threw away the key it suck she have the little power to have someone else life in her hand cause she has been abusing it very sad he is a criminal and what he did was a crime

  5. I have known Ms. Hanson since school. She has always been stuck up. She thinks she is perfect. She looks down on poor people, uneducated people, people who aren’t up to her high standards… everyone is below her.. its sad to see she is still the same. She is not a nice person.
    I feel that everybody should be treated the same. I don’t care what position you hold in society. Hitting a child with any kind of broom handle is not ok. Its too much. But its my opinion.

  6. Jenn, I wish life was fair too. Does the Wisconsin court system use deferred prosecution agreements for just cops? Do you even have kids?

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories
Archives
Authors

Subscribe to updates

Get notified of new articles. We'll never share your email address.