RACINE COUNTY, Wis. — Racine County Sheriff candidate Captain Cary Madrigal lost her attempt to keep serious disciplinary records hidden from the public after a judge ordered the documents released, records showing she was disciplined for seemingly failing to properly act on troubling allegations involving a deputy who was later convicted in a child pornography and child sexual exploitation case.

The records show Madrigal received a 10-day suspension without pay after internal investigators concluded she failed to appropriately respond after sheriff’s office employees raised concerns about former Racine County Deputy Preston Kennethrobert Kite in 2023. According to the disciplinary findings, staff members reported allegations that Kite had sent inappropriate explicit images and engaged in troubling behavior, but investigators determined Madrigal failed to properly elevate the matter, failed to ensure documentation was created and failed to take sufficient supervisory action despite serving as a captain and one of the highest-ranking members of the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.

Kite was later charged in Racine County with dozens of felonies, including possession of child pornography and child sexual exploitation offenses. Court records show Kite pleaded no contest Nov. 22, 2024, before Judge Jon E. Fredrickson and was sentenced Feb. 28, 2025.

The records show Kite received 15 years in prison on one count of possession of child pornography and multiple consecutive 25-year prison sentences on child sexual exploitation counts. The case also included allegations involving bestiality and lewd behavior.

Kite first drew major public attention in early 2024 after Kenosha County investigators alleged he exposed himself while in uniform at a highway rest stop and attempted to engage another man in sexual activity while on duty. Investigators later uncovered far more disturbing allegations, including hidden-camera recordings allegedly placed in bathrooms to secretly record men urinating and extensive child pornography and exploitation evidence found during the investigation.

Madrigal attempted to stop public release of her disciplinary file by filing a Woznicki lawsuit in Racine County Circuit Court after a resident requested the records earlier this year. Under Wisconsin law, public employees may sue to temporarily block release of personnel records. Such lawsuits are rarely successful.

Racine County Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz ruled May 14 that the records had to be released. However, the judge also granted Madrigal an additional 20 days to appeal the ruling, a delay critics say would have effectively allowed the records to remain hidden until after much of the election season.

Madrigal ultimately announced Sunday that she would not appeal further and released the records herself.

In a public statement, Madrigal described the incidents in her file as “past mistakes” and said law enforcement officers sometimes use humor to cope with difficult experiences. She acknowledged that some decisions caused “personal and professional embarrassment” but argued they should not define her career or integrity.

Opponents of Madrigal told Kenosha County Eye they viewed the statement as tone deaf and disingenuous, arguing the issue is not simple embarrassment but whether a command-level officer properly handled serious warnings involving a deputy later convicted of child exploitation crimes.

The records also reveal additional discipline throughout Madrigal’s career.

In 2012, Madrigal received a one-day suspension without pay after investigators found she consumed chocolate-covered cherries seized during a search warrant tied to overdoses involving school-aged children before authorities knew whether the candy contained narcotics. According to the disciplinary findings, Madrigal ate one piece herself and passed the candy around to other sheriff’s office employees. Supervisors concluded the conduct demonstrated poor judgment and violated professional standards.

Another discipline file from 2006 shows Madrigal allowed a jailed drug suspect to use a telephone during booking despite investigators warning that the inmate was not supposed to make calls because authorities feared evidence and drug money connected to a Milwaukee investigation could be moved or destroyed. Investigators concluded Madrigal knew or should have known the inmate was not to receive phone access but handed over the phone anyway because she felt sorry for the inmate. She received another one-day suspension without pay.

A relatively minor written reprimand for a preventable squad crash in 2021 also appears in the file.

The controversy has also drawn attention to Sheriff Christopher Schmaling’s leadership history. Critics have long accused Schmaling of failing to terminate deputies who should have been removed from law enforcement, including Kite and former detective Emil Ortiz.

Current Kenosha County Sheriff David W. Zoerner also appeared to signal support for Madrigal through his reaction to her public social media statement regarding the records release. Zoerner himself filed a Woznicki lawsuit during the 2022 Kenosha County sheriff’s race in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent voters from seeing disciplinary records from his prior law enforcement employment.

At Zoerner’s request, this author whitewashed portions of his personnel file coverage during the 2022 election. Looking back, that was a mistake and one this author regrets. Kenosha County Eye makes mistakes, and this was one of them. That will not happen again during Zoerner’s 2026 re-election campaign. His disciplinary file will be released and reported in full, without whitewashing.

“One of Madrigal’s most prominent supporters is Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson (D), who has been actively campaigning for her during the sheriff’s race. Hanson, viewed by many conservatives as an ultra-liberal prosecutor, has publicly aligned herself with Madrigal’s campaign as the election approaches.”

Madrigal is considered the likely frontrunner in the Racine County sheriff’s race. Her opponent in the primary is Henry Perez, a former Racine alderman and former police officer.