KENOSHA, Wis. — A recent municipal citation has brought renewed attention to the extensive legal history of a Kenosha man who claimed to be a manager at a downtown bar known for employing individuals with criminal records. The case raises broader concerns about the City of Kenosha’s municipal collections system and the willingness of some local businesses to hire habitual offenders.

Paid Advertisement

A minor charge, a sprawling record

Paid Advertisement

Trion G. Brown, 39, was fined $187 in March for “Affirmative Duty to Cooperate with Police” following a law enforcement encounter. During that interaction, Brown told officers he was a manager at Tavern on 6th. That bar and its sister establishment, Church and Market, are both owned by the same individuals and are known locally for hiring individuals with extensive arrest records.

Paid Advertisement

Brown’s name surfaced during unrelated reporting on the arrest of Ronnie Orr. That prompted a closer look at Brown’s background—revealing more than two decades of legal trouble spanning both municipal and criminal courts.

Paid Advertisement

Over $18,000 in unpaid fines

Paid Advertisement

Brown has been issued at least 33 citations in Kenosha Municipal Court since 2003. These include nine counts of Operating a Vehicle After Suspension (OVAS), two for driving without a valid license, three for operating a vehicle without insurance, and multiple counts of non-registration, obstructing an officer, open intoxicants, disorderly conduct, and other traffic violations.

Paid Advertisement

Records show Brown owes the city $18,125.02 in unpaid fines. He has paid just $3,718.20 of the $21,843.22 he has been ordered to pay over the years. His largest citation, issued in 2009, was for $17,938.02 and stemmed from an incident where Brown allegedly struck a juvenile cyclist with a vehicle and fled the scene. That citation included restitution to the victim.

One charge was a felony

That same 2009 incident led to Brown being charged in criminal court with Hit and Run – Injury, as a Repeater—a felony. According to the complaint, witnesses said Brown hit a teenager on a bicycle near the Kenosha Yacht Club, paused briefly to speak with the victim, then left the scene. The teen was later treated at the hospital for contusions and abrasions.

Brown’s criminal charges extend beyond traffic-related offenses. In 2011, he was charged with telephone harassment after bombarding a woman with dozens of texts and voicemails, including threats to kill her. Brown later admitted to police that he “wanted to scare the living daylight” out of the woman after discovering she had been in a relationship with his girlfriend.

In 2020, Brown was charged with disorderly conduct after a fight at Lincoln Middle School. A school staff member reported seeing Brown throwing wild punches at a group of children. A cellphone video obtained by police showed Brown actively engaging in the brawl, contradicting his claim that he was trying to break it up.

In 2007, Brown was charged with multiple counts of misdemeanor bail jumping after violating bond conditions tied to separate charges for driving without a license. According to court records, he was out on bond in three different traffic cases and continued to drive illegally, resulting in multiple bail violations. He later failed to appear in court, prompting additional bail jumping charges.

Unanswered questions for city and employers

Despite this history, Brown continues to work in the downtown bar scene. His claimed role as a manager at Tavern on 6th—and the ownership ties between that bar and Church and Market—raises questions about whether certain businesses are knowingly giving positions of responsibility to individuals with lengthy legal histories.

It also remains unclear what, if any, steps the City of Kenosha has taken to collect the $18,125.02 Brown still owes in fines. His case draws attention to what may be a much larger problem: widespread non-payment of municipal debt, and limited enforcement mechanisms to hold chronic violators accountable.