(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha County Circuit Court Commissioner William “Bargain Bail Billy” Michel II was reportedly fired today after months of scrutiny over his bail decisions, courtroom conduct and handling of restraining order cases, including his denial of Makayla Rutka Plaza’s request for protection weeks before she was allegedly murdered by her estranged husband.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
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51 Responses
Better late than never!
This is the second commissioner fired from this position in less than 10 years.
They fired Berman and now Billy. Keating retired after a short stint to get away from the awful judges. Good luck to whoever thinks this is a good opportunity…
If we voted out Chad next time,
maybe he can get his power fix in this job.
About Time!!!
Real piece of work!! Next Kerkman….
About time
It would be interesting to know if Kerkman had a hand in this, especially after Michel capitulated to Kerkman’s demand to keep KCE out of the intake court area. That would be somewhat ironic. Anyway, I look forward to future details on this breaking story. Remember, you can cross your Ts, but don’t cross The Eye!
I predict that we will likely see Bill make another run for either circuit judge or DA.
He’s ran and lost so many times that he’s got to know he’s got no chance
If he was smart he would. If…
It’s Kenosha. Anyone has a chance with the 98 percent of dumb ass residents in this city.
This guy got nominated, dumped Juvenile Court because it was too much, for him, then spent those two hours each afternoon at the courthouse lobbying for his failed Branch Three judgeship run. After that dream was over, he kept lobbying anyway. Who exactly let that happen?
He was a terrible attorney and was worse as Commissioner he has blood on his hands. Good riddance!
It is hard to picture him as a defense attorney on the same team as the young lady who raises her voice and rolls her eyes, acting like she knows what she’s talking about, but he would be fun to watch.
I had him in a restraining order court and he was a complete prick to me as the victim. Flat out refused me of every right and ability to speak in court. Someone tell that asshole that Walmart is hiring!!
Carl Greco wasn’t much better looking down over his glasses
They’re all mediocre, at best.
So glad
So many people think things are automatically gonna get better now, it’s gonna be the same crap
Names in article of possible replacements are just as bad as Michel.
Kenosha has has a Bad reputation ! all over to much outside control ( see what daddy will say). To many people have outside control in this town and will continue.
Send him to prison
So long Jackass!!!!!!!
Blackmailing an innocent man twice is a federal crime. Feds witness.
These far left liberal idiots are ruining city’s across the US and democrats stay silent
Shut up cry baby
Go fuck yourself, you piece of shit libtard
Dem’s are the problem
Bullseye. The Democrat Party today is fully controlled by far Left kooks, homosexuals, race baiting leeches, globalist DEA grifters, and welfare cheats out to raid the Treasury. The normal, rational Democrat (i.e., the straight, beer and shot drinking union man and real guy types, their normal women and normal disciplined straight children) has been culturally chopped off over the past 20 years, with many switching to the Republican Party as happened in the Reagan 80s. The Democrats need a 1992 Democrat Bill Clinton – style “Sista Soulja” takedown. For those that remember…basically it was Clinton’s big ‘F-You’ to Jesse Jackson and the far Left that made Republicans comfortable to vote Democrat, which included ClInton’s gubernatorial execution track record, particularly traveling back to Little Rock to personally sign the death warrant of a retarded Black man that killed a AR State Trooper right in the middle of the 1992 campaign. Regrettably, there are no normal Democrat political talents that could do that today, including Fetterman, the only one that has shown a remote possibility.
True but Kenosha is not that lib anymore.
Tracey Braun didn’t know her ass from a hole in the ground when she was an ADA. Oh well, bring in the next donkey.
She lives in Illinois so she wouldn’t be able to sign after-hour warrants unless she drove to Wisconsin. Horrible choice.
Yeah , they’re probably aren’t a lot of candidates
Why would Tracey want to leave a $125K/year job at Gateway to probably take a pay cut and have to deal with the courthouse drama? That’s the $64,000 question. Unless the middle school locker room is grooming her to run for judge, maybe.
Welp Kenosha better build more Jails then
Nicole Beddings would be a great court commissioner
Please stop with the silliness – Nicole is a mediocre attorney at best. Shes never held a real job and has been employed by her daddy since law school. She has never handled criminal cases and wouldn’t last 3 days in Intake Court. On the flip side, she is morally bankrupt, just ask her ex-husband and Steinbrink, so she’ll fit right in with Heather and Jodi.
Every attorney in this city is mediocre hence why they practice here…
I thought that picture of the judge was just Bargain Bill with a blonde wig.
This isn’t Billy’s fault. The blame lies with those who chose him for such a delicate job—especially the judges who voted for him. Jason Rossell thought she’d get a useful idiot to handle intake. The “useful” part was missing from day one.
Agreed. His predecessor didn’t flinch. The instant the then-chief judge overstepped, he immediately cleared out all his personal staff, resigned on the spot, and gave the courthouse nearly a full year to find a proper replacement.
Hopefully they won’t invoke “urgency” to ram through someone as bad as Tracey Braun.
It would be Billy: The Return — straight out of a horror sequel.
Tracey was a pretty surly prosecutor and trains cops at Gateway.
So now you will be able to complain about fill in commissioners even more as they set even lower bonds.
Well said, Bill
He was not terminated for poor performance. The real reason has always been that the Jerk still thinks it was Billy who granted you access to intake. They sent Former CO Britt to rat on him, his clerk, and the looks of your butt crack.
IOWA’s entire judicial system, SCOTT COUNTY up to the Iowa Supreme Court to the US District and 8th Cir. Ct. of Appeals has been Captured by the BAR (British) and Controlled by bribe, extortion or opportunity to fill a seat with a psychopath.
New book, Domestic Terrorism: USA vs Veterans and the First Amendment, Dr. KC Tennant, DC Exposes these cosmic parasites.
You’ll be happy to know that Bill was a Wisconsin Court Commissioner in Kenosha County, not an Iowa magistrate in Scott County.
Braun is a nasty gash
I see Bargain Bail Billy is showing up as a Public Defender now – it will be awkward if he now has to represent defendants that he previously did intake for. I can’t imagine that is allowed but we shall see. You can look up 2026CF000706 as a reference.