(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
ADA Emily Gaertner (D) lost a very serious sexual assault trial on October 8, 2024 against repeat offender Kelean Kraintz, 29, of Kenosha. After calling only a handful of witnesses, the prosecution rested. The defense attorney, Kristyne Watson, asked for a directed verdict because there was not enough evidence to convict Kraintz. Judge Jason Rossell denied the motion and the defense, seemingly so confident in its case, called no witnesses. The defense then rested. Just over an hour after they started deliberating, the jury came back – NOT GUILTY of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of an Unconscious Victim. Kraintz faced up to 40 years in prison had he been convicted. He was alleged to have sexuallt assaulted a sleeping woman without consent.
(Kenosha County Sheriff)
Believe it or not, this wasn’t the first time Kraintz had a run-in with the police and the Kenosha DA’s office. He is a convicted felon, in fact.
On August 4, 2021, Kraintz was charged with felony Stalking. Kraintz’s ex girlfriend told police that he called her a “crazy amount of times” after they broke up and she found him parked outside of places she would be. The DA’s office dropped the felony and allowed Kraintz to plead guilty to three misdemeanor counts of Unlaw Phone Use- Threaten w/ Obscenity. He got probation.
On January 3, 2019, Kraintz was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting an officer., According to the criminal complaint, he was peeping into a house. Police were called and he hid inside another person’s vehicle. POlice found him and he resisted arrest shouting, “I’m black just shoot me like all police do” and “I just want to die”. The Kenosha DA’s office dismissed the resisting charge and he plead guilty to the Disorderly Conduct. He got a fine.
Kraintz has two other felony cases that are open. Both are for drinking alcohol, in violation of his bail. Three counts of felony bail jumping are penging, and one bail-jumping conviction he has yet to be sentenced for. They come with them each, a maximum sentence of eight years, since they were charged as repeaters.
Gaertner is no stranger to losing serious sexual assault cases. Last year, a Salem man was found NOT GUILTY of two counts of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child.
Gaertner declined comment.
15 Responses
Is the inference here that a (D) ADA screwed up by losing the case, or that the (D) ADA screwed up by even prosecuting the guy?
Not guilty in an hour? Sounds like a loser case to begin with.
Juries aren’t always right but they sure are final.
If found guilty it can go on forever
An hour is just enough time for everyone on the jury to use the restroom and to pass out the pens.
I differ. I was impaneled on a jury. A civil case. After twelve hours of testimony, we had the opportunity to deliberate. We had a unanimous verdict against the plaintiff before we had a jury foreman. No juror even sat down. All shook their head “No.”
Our time was wasted.
These so called attorneys are kids pretending to enforce laws. Sad joke
Kids who only seem to learn DEI and how to pretend to be the opposite sex, in law school.
We need to clean house in Kenosha County. Vote for Solis!
Amazing? Great Job DA office. FIRE YOU ALL!!! Worthless and Corrupt is about the only words, we can say .
This is out of Control! What can we do about this as people of Kenosha, isn’t there some federal level of investigation that can be called in to
look into the corruption of are local law officials?
Federal government runs the show. The whole system in the usa is corrupted
unfortunately true
unbelievable , i know a guy that got 3 years in Wisconsin prison for a verbal altercation with girlfriend and the DA and judge blackballed and railroaded him with no evidence
all hearsay ,
I was a juror in this case. I felt like this should have never gone to trial. It was purely a “he said/she said” case with zero additional evidence IMO.
He said she said cases with no further proof are her favorite. She decided someone is guilty and then lies to the the naive and ignorant judges until she gets her way. She’s a joke and a pathetic lawyer. Hopefully Solis cans her ass immediately