(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — A petition filed Friday in Kenosha County Circuit Court is asking a judge to open a John Doe investigation into former Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank McGrath over allegations that he repeatedly used restricted law-enforcement databases to track a coworker for personal reasons.
The petition, filed by Kenosha County Eye publisher Kevin Mathewson, alleges that McGrath accessed both the FLOCK automated license plate recognition system and the Sheriff’s Office Polaris squad-tracking system numerous times while off duty. The filing asks the court to determine whether the conduct constitutes the felony offense of misconduct in public office.
According to the filing, an internal investigation conducted by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office found that McGrath conducted approximately 16 searches using the FLOCK license plate recognition system on Sept. 30, 2025. The searches were reportedly labeled “Suspicious” and were not associated with any case number or documented law-enforcement purpose.
The petition further alleges that McGrath accessed the Polaris vehicle-tracking system approximately 40 times between July and October 2025 while off duty. Polaris allows authorized users to view the real-time GPS location of law-enforcement vehicles.
The filing alleges that, upon information and belief, the searches were conducted in order to determine the location of a coworker with whom McGrath had a personal relationship.
Mathewson’s petition argues that the alleged misuse of law-enforcement databases may constitute misconduct in public office under Wisconsin law, a felony offense that applies when a public officer knowingly performs acts beyond the scope of their lawful authority.
The petition also raises questions about how the matter was handled internally.
Records obtained by Kenosha County Eye show McGrath ultimately resigned under a negotiated separation agreement between Kenosha County, the deputy sheriff’s union and McGrath himself. The agreement allowed McGrath to voluntarily resign effective Dec. 12, 2025, and included severance pay and continued benefits for a limited period after his departure.
Despite the findings in the internal investigation, the petition alleges the matter was never referred to the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office for criminal review.
“Our sheriff thought he could enter into a quiet settlement agreement and allow this deputy to resign without referring the matter for criminal charges to the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office,” said Kenosha County Eye publisher Kevin Mathewson. “That’s suspicious at best and a dereliction of duty at worst. I contacted the DA’s office to ask where they were with charges, and they told me they had no idea what I was talking about and had never been notified. I hope a judge reviews this John Doe petition and appoints a special prosecutor because everyone in this county should be held to the same standard.”
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
The petition also notes that similar conduct by police officers elsewhere in Wisconsin has resulted in criminal charges.
In one case cited in the filing, an Outagamie County police officer was charged in January with felony misconduct in public office after investigators alleged he used the FLOCK system while off duty to search for the location of a woman’s vehicle for personal reasons.
In another case cited in the petition, a Milwaukee police officer was charged in February with attempted misconduct in public office after investigators alleged he ran license plate searches dozens of times using the FLOCK system to track individuals for personal reasons.
The petition asks a Kenosha County judge to open a John Doe proceeding under Wisconsin law. A John Doe investigation allows a judge to oversee a confidential inquiry into whether a crime has been committed and whether criminal charges should be issued.
If the judge grants the request, witnesses can be called to testify under oath and investigators can be directed to gather additional evidence.
Court records show the petition was filed Friday, March 6, 2026. A judge has not yet ruled on whether the John Doe investigation will be opened.
41 Responses
And by the way, who’s running for Sheriff next Time ?!?
This guy has got to go !!
Such a disgrace and disappointment !!
To allow this conduct to go with just a resignation ?!?
Just like letting teachers resign for fireable offenses. You may think you are protecting one person but in reality you are putting many more in harm’s way !
And the fact that you don’t see that is reason enough to vote you out of office.
Never will get my vote again !
Will she recruit and support a new Sheriff Candidate ?
Only time will Tell
He was protected by his Union.
That’s what unions do…protect the rule breakers
Worse than David Beth !
No one is worse than David Beth
Vote for Tony G for sheriff! Most qualified candidate out there!
Bye Zoerner!!!!
Maybe this deputy should be prosecuted, maybe not but it should be up to D.A. Xavier Solis to decide. At first blush it’s troubling that the line may be been crossed between journalist and advocate.
I can be both. I have no rights since I’m a journalist ?!?
Of course journalists have rights. But typically journalists report news, not seek to make it. It seems like a logical place to start would be with the district attorney and what he plans to do. The law gives the DA a great deal of discretion but it is not unlimited. What seems to be missing here is whether the DA has had the chance to review this and make a charging decision.
I filed all the evidence with the DA. That’s how the system works when the Sheriff doesn’t do anything.
So, has the DA made a decision or is it still under review?
He filed it yesterday
I guess you’ve never heard of investigative journalists.
“Investigative journalists”(IJ’s) all ceased to exist when the black Jesus, Barack Hussein Obama, first ran for president. The amount of dirt/corruption and illegal benefits he received that was buried, ended IJ’s.
Those “journalists” just regurgitate democrat talking points now.
Thankfully we still have Kevin for this.
Because he was a cop when doing it is all the more reason for a formal criminal investigation to have been opened. Undoubtedly this deputy has handled stalking cases so he knew what he was doing was wrong.
Unfortunately, our county officials have been nothing but a clown show. We have dirty lying cops, and a county executive who is using her office to enhance her personal wealth
Correct
Let me guess. He was tracking a female officer? Probably jealous or insecure. Or waiting for a hookup while that deputy was on duty.
Hoes will he hoes.
Why would anyone still pay money to get the Kenosha News?
I paid $1 for six months of online access. It is about all it’s worth, but you can’t really beat the price…even for “news” that’s 2-5 old….
Regardless, he’s on the public list of “resigned while under investigation “ so nobody will hire him as a cop if he applied.
Should be filed on the deputy that tipped off her biker gang relative of drug investigations.
How dare you question this brown shirt? He has served the public, risked his life for you, all while stalking his X. Back the blue and brown no matter what crime they commit.
Yawn.
This is another example NOT to vote for Zoerner for sheriff!
Dumb question. How are these people able to access FLOCK while off-duty? Don’t they have to be logged-in on a secure server/portal?
Flock& Fog Reveal needs to be outlawed due to the abuses that are prevalent nationwide.
Why didn’t ORTIZ from Racine County have anything done to him about his misuse of FLOCK cameras and other databases ?
Yes, why did Emil Ortiz not get criminally charged??? Must have something to do with being in Sheriff Christopher Schmailing’s sons wedding!
I don’t think he’s a horrible guy. This is not what I thought it was when I first read about it. It’s more of workplace romance off the rails, than some evil cop. We can’t expect them to be Saints.
View Business Reform channel on YouTube about these police used work arounds. They lease so “they” are not violating your 4th amendment rights. e.g. No need for warrants. Just watch it and learn the truth about government surveillance. Not the bs they feed you. License plate readers my ass. Your rights are being violated everywhere. Leave your electronics at home. Even your new car spys on you. Buy older used cars. Dump the ring doorbells, etc. Get a top notch fire wall and VPN. Dump the smart phone (The start of all of this) for a Walmart burn phone. Don’t text, no apps. Just outgoing calls. Remove battery. Get off social media.
Those who sacrifice liberty for freedom deserve neither. ~Ben Franklin
Good suggestions. It’s not correct to say “if you haven’t done anything wrong, you have no reason to avoid investigation.” We are allowed to lead private lives and not fear misuse of official investigative tools like the Flock system . Kevin was following up on the story as part of his journalism and I really appreciate him putting his neck out to do this work in the public interest.
Considering that it’s an internal investigation,he’ll probably just get a 3-day paid suspension… Kenosha hasn’t been very Stern for any crimes especially when it comes to public offiials..
My question is why hasn’t the officer/deputy he was stalking filed anything? Unless you are doing this on her behalf in fear of retaliation cause I could 100% see that. It’s hard enough to be a female in a male dominated field and be taken seriously. It makes things 10 times worse to have to report a male coworker.
You probably just answered your own question. Really hard to speak up against “bad cop” behavior, for many reasons. But keeping quiet hurts individual integrity and is why many people don’t want to trust authorities and “the system”.
Anyone know why KSD deputy Nicole Sorenson was quietly “let go”?
Correction Kevin, the MPD Officer accessed FLOCK THOUSANDS of times… accessing not only his ex, but another MPD Officer. This case is going to trial; stalking is no joke. Any officer of any agency or rank should be subject to prosecution for accessing FLOCK off duty for personal reasons, period.
Hot take – FLOCK cameras are an invasion of privacy and unconstitutional, even when used “correctly”.
It amounts to tracking your every movement as a private, law-abiding American.
They will take every single right you have that you are not willing to defend.
FLOCK cameras should be banned entirely.
Big Brother is always watching.
The victim here did everything right to keep the comrades of her colleagues. She wasnt afraid, he never was physical with her, she didn’t think of it as stalking etc,etc etc.
Yet a a sworn law officer she may also be disciplined for not reporting the incidents which she called “weird” but clearly new he was staling and illegally using the systems.