Arrest warrants were issued yesterday for two people who police say sold fentanyl to the 51-year-old mistress of a Salem Lakes politician days before she died. Gerald “Jerry” Campion (65) and Maria Larson (49), both of Trevor, have been charged with first degree reckless homicide, facing 40 years in the Wisconsin State Prison System.
According to the criminal complaint: Kenosha County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home of Ted Kmiec, an attorney and Salem Lakes trustee, at about 6:54 pm on March 21, 2022. When deputies arrived on scene, Kmiec brought them to his bedroom, where the woman lay dead. Deputies and paramedics quickly realized the woman was beyond life saving measures. A Sheriff’s detective arrived on scene and determined it was a likely fentanyl/opiate overdose. The medical examiner’s office ruled the cause of death as acute fentanyl intoxication. The woman’s cell phone was examined and police found several suspicious conversations with an individual known as Jerry Campion between the dates of February 20, 2022 and March 12, 2022. During these messages, the woman was offering to buy pills from Campion. In one message, the woman says she intentionally took too many pills “for fun.” Campion told her to be careful with taking too much. Campion was questioned by detectives and initially denied selling drugs to the woman. He finally admitted that he was the woman’s drug dealer. He told police she would crush the pills and snort them. Campion told police he bought theses pills from Maria Larson, Campion’s co-defendant. Larson gave police a hypothetical that involved her knowing that the drugs were very strong and dangerous and eventually stopped selling them.
Kmiec (61) is married, and his wife is reportedly currently battling cancer. Since publication, Kmiec and his wife have both said publicly that Mrs. Kmiec’s cancer is in remission. KCE has learned that Kmiec knew his mistress’ drug dealer, Gerald Campion. In fact, Kmiec represented Campion in a felony matter, in which Campion was alleged to have punched his wife, slammed her into a wall, and choked her until she passed out and fell to the floor. Kmiec got the felony dropped. Kmiec has refused to answer any of our questions about this unnatural death.
Both Campion and Larson have $75,000 warrants and at the time of publication have not been booked into the Kenosha County Jail. Larson has retained an attorney and is scheduled to be in court Wednesday at 1:00 pm if she is not arrested sooner.
Salem Lakes Village president Diann Tesar called our previous reporting of this issue “slander” and “malice” in front of a group of about 100 residents last night. She called Ted Kmiec an “irrefutable attorney.” I asked her if I could respond and she denied my request. I asked her after the meeting to tell me what was untrue about the article. Even after I offered to donate $1,000 to her favorite charity, she couldn’t name one thing in the article that was untrue. She then later claimed she was talking about someone else. Below is a video of her comments and my questioning.
***Warning: I am not polite to Tesar***
14 Responses
Wonder if they are same dealers that sold to Cardinali. Same type of drug, eerily similar timeframe. He and Kmiec are tight after all they endorsed each other and donated to each other several times. Ashame she didn’t have the same fortune he got.
Diann Tesar said Kmiec is an irrefutable attorney. I think she spelled “piece of shit” wrong.
Tragic death no matter what. Too many drugs around here.
Corruption and drug use are everywhere …nice work Kevin ..
Kevin, Do comments on here really remain anonymous? Same with anonymous tips? In other words, you have no way of knowing who posted or sent?
Kevin,
Please sue her. When you win, I’ll donate $500 to a charity of your choice. Seems like you have all the evidence you need on film. Also would be a great follow up Headline!
Why is it that reporting the truth is the crime and the degenerates that are caught up in it or other misconduct are free of any responsibility?
She overdosed at the village attorney’s home. Not her first time using drugs with fentanyl it would seem. I’m not a detective but one would think the attorney probably uses with her and it’s likely there are narcotics in his home unless he got rid of the evidence already. Im sure he did a tidy cleanup job after “finding” her dead that morning. My questions: Any door cams from neighbors showing that he never left the house? How strung out was he that he couldn’t make the call until morning? Kmiec should be a suspect in her death and he should be tested for drugs immediately. A liar and a cheat are one in the same and someone that has no regard for a sick spouse, that has a live in gf that overdosed at his home will do anything he can to save his own skin including showing up the next day.
While Kmiec has enough troubles of his own. Salem Lakes should drop this scumbag faster than someone that has a fentanyl overdose so his continued poor decisions don’t become the villages problems more than they already are. I’d be upset if I was represented through my tax dollars by these clowns.
This story may help the criminals that read your site find an attorney as shady as them. Kmiec may need to pay you some royalties after this.
Lastly, the woman on camera who is her own star in her own political theatre owes you a public apology. She should try righting her wrong sooner than later before it costs her.
Unfortunate that you summed up this woman’s life and existence in 1 word, “mistress” when she is possibly someone’s daughter, sister, mother, friend. It’s not right, not kind and not fair.
Angel you are so right.She was someone daughter,sister,mother and friend.Teddy has been divorced from his X-Wife for a few years now and she doesn’t even live in this state and she has been cancer free for a few years also. Just thought I’d clear this up since they have both been our friends for years .
I’m sorry but you are incorrect. Ted is not divorced.
My mistake not divorced yet but haven’t been together