Photo Courtesy of Racine County Sheriff
Twenty-seven year old Joshua Sylvester began his law-enforcement career with the Kenosha Police Department on August 2, 2021. He was married in 2019 and recently had a child. A little more than a year after being sworn in, he is now behind bars. Sylvester is accused by investigators of “second degree sexual assault by law enforcement officer” and “misconduct in public office/excess authority.” If charged and convicted of theses serious felonies, he is facing 43.5 years in the Wisconsin State Prison system. According to a source with knowledge of the allegations, the rape occurred on duty, is on video, and cannot be reasonably refuted. The investigation is being handled primarily by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department to avoid a conflict of interest. Kenosha DA Michael Graveley will likely also recuse himself and let either the Racine CO or the Walworth CO District Attorney handle the charging aspect.
KCE Spoke with the Kenosha Police Union President Pete Deates, who is a detective with the department’s sensitive crimes unit. This author has had many interactions with Deates as Alderman. He has a reputation for transparency and has little tolerance for misconduct among his members. His job with the department is among the toughest in the detective bureau and deals with sexual assaults of adults and children. Deates had the following to say:
“I have been made aware of an allegation against one of our officers. The KPPA encourages the department to utilize any and all resources when a citizen makes a complaint against one of our officers to prove or disprove the allegation. If an officer violates the trust of the citizens we serve, it makes the job of all our good officers more difficult. If what is being alleged occurred, we don’t want an officer like that on our department.”
Public Information Officer and Internal Affairs Commander
KCE reached out to Kenosha Police Lt. Joe Nosalik who is the departments Public Information Officer and who leads the department’s Internal Affairs department, who told us that “the top priority [for KPD] is the victim. The integrity of the investigative process cannot be jeopardized. Public comments will be made available as soon as appropriate.”
Sylvester is expected to be in court today at 1:00pm for his initial appearance. KCE will be there.
***This is a developing story and will be updated***
Chief Eric Larsen and Officer Joshua Sylvester
(Facebook)
7 Responses
This is just great!
I recently had some trash move up from Illinois into our neighborhood, the only rental home on the block. They are clearly running some kind of a drug operation from it with all kinds of activity just last night, cars in and out until 1:20 in the morning.
This happens many nights and they just moved in May and they have litle kids living there. Many of us have lived here a number of years and now we have to deal with this garbage.
Ive been thinking of how to deal with this or even deal with this at all with the KPD because of trust issues with this agency and our current D.A..
We are working people and own our home and now we have this to deal with this and this news story puts more doubt in my mind about even calling the police.
We also have a neighborhood recent move in. A nice northside area now trashed with seven or eight people living in the home and a constant array of different vehicles making short visits. It’s like a boarding house. The police have been notified but nothing has been done with this suspicious residence.
8:23 pm on Tuesday and the action has started already!
I have a similar problem. There are new townhome apartment buildings built by my house and all I see there are Illinois plates. They are not selling drugs but they are disrespectful. I don’t want to move but I also don’t like living by them.
GFY.
Mike Graveley, the Absentee DA collecting a paycheck to be a full time BLM activist. His notable recent accomplishments include hiring incompetent ADAs to administer lackluster justice for the citizens of Kenosha County while hiding in his office himself. Let’s hope the Sylvester case will be an exception to my comment.
In part the result of decades of poor management in the DA’s office aided and abetted by governors and legislators of both parties that refuse to fund it adequately. We’re reaping what they sowed. 🙁