KENOSHA, Wis. — One of the rioters present the night Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people in Kenosha has been denied early release from prison.

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Kelly Ziminski, 34, filed a petition on May 12, 2025, asking a judge to shorten her 20-month prison sentence for a 2022 armed robbery and burglary. But on June 13, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Heather Iverson rejected the request, stating that early release was “not in the public’s interest.”

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Ziminski pleaded guilty to armed burglary and robbery with threat of force in case 22CF1260. She was sentenced to 20 months in state prison, followed by three years of extended supervision and three years of probation. The case stemmed from a violent 2022 incident in which Ziminski and her husband, Joshua Ziminski, were accused of kidnapping a man at knifepoint and forcing him to attempt multiple ATM withdrawals around Kenosha.

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In a letter to the court, Ziminski emphasized her prison employment and completion of several programs, including cognitive behavior therapy and anger management. “I have made a few poor choices that led to conduct reports,” she wrote, “but have not received any more conduct reports since July of 2024.” She said she was working to better herself and return home to her six children.

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But her institutional record included a long list of rule violations, such as disobeying orders, sexual conduct, possession of contraband, unauthorized communication, lying, and being in unassigned areas.

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Assistant District Attorney Zach Brost filed a memo opposing the request, citing her disciplinary record and prior convictions, and urging the court not to grant her early release.

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Ziminski has four prior convictions for child neglect and multiple convictions for retail theft. She previously received probation, but it was revoked, and she served a one-year prison term before the current sentence.

Her most publicized arrest came during the August 2020 Kenosha riots, the same night Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot two people and wounded a third. Ziminski was captured on video assisting her husband in pushing a flaming dumpster into traffic and obstructing police vehicles. She later pleaded guilty to obstructing an officer and violating the city’s emergency curfew. She received only fines for those offenses.

Her husband, Joshua Ziminski, who is also in prison, filed a similar petition for early release earlier this year. That request was also denied by Judge Iverson, who ruled that early release would not be in the public’s interest.

Both Ziminskis remain in state custody and are expected to serve out their full sentences.

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