Users
(AI-Generated)
KENOSHA, Wis. — At this point, Kenosha County residents could be forgiven for wondering whether someone is playing a joke on them. Kenosha County Court Commissioner Daniel “Catch & Release” Kellum certainly appears determined to live up to his nickname. One week after Krystyna M. Rogers, 36, of Kenosha, allegedly picked up four new felony bail-jumping charges within hours of Kellum releasing her without requiring a penny, Rogers is back with yet another criminal case, two more felony bail-jumping charges and maximum incarceration exposure that has now ballooned to 77 years and three months. Rogers is now facing 16 open criminal charges across six cases, including 12 felony bail-jumping counts. Kellum’s response Friday? No-cash bail. Again.
(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
The latest case was filed Friday and charges Rogers with two more counts of felony bail jumping, both Class H felonies punishable by up to six years in prison. Prosecutors allege Rogers violated bonds in two of her already-pending felony cases by again having contact with a prohibited person on September 10. Those two new charges add another 12 years of maximum incarceration exposure, pushing Rogers’ total maximum across all six open cases from 65 years and three months to 77 years and three months.
According to the new criminal complaint, Kenosha Police Officer Wallace was sent to a residence on 34th Avenue on September 10 for a reported bail violation. Dispatch advised that Rogers’ mother had called and reported that Rogers was at the residence despite a no-contact order. When police arrived, Rogers allegedly answered the door and was immediately detained.
Rogers allegedly told police she had been in court earlier that same day and had been told by her lawyer that her bond conditions had been modified, allowing her to be at the residence as long as she did not have violent contact with her mother. Rogers’ mother told police there had been no argument, no violent contact and no discussion of one of the criminal cases, but said she did not want Rogers at the residence and believed Rogers was prohibited from being there.
Prosecutors allege Rogers was still under no-contact conditions in two other open cases. The complaint specifically cites her September 3 case, where Kellum imposed a no-contact condition, and her May case, where Court Commissioner Tracey Braun had also imposed a no-contact condition.
That brings Rogers’ running total to 16 open charges across six cases. Her pending charges include felony operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, hit-and-run, operating while revoked, domestic-abuse disorderly conduct and 12 separate counts of felony bail jumping.
The escalation has been rapid — Rogers’ first pending felony case dates to March. She later picked up another felony bail-jumping case in April and another case in May containing two more felony bail-jumping charges. On September 3, prosecutors charged Rogers with three additional felony bail-jumping counts, each carrying up to six years in prison. Kellum gave her no-cash bail in that case.
Hours later, police allegedly found Rogers violating bond again. Prosecutors filed a fifth case on September 4 charging four more counts of felony bail jumping. Those four charges alone carried another 24 years in potential incarceration.
The September 4 complaint expressly documented that Rogers had appeared before Kellum the previous day on three felony bail-jumping charges and that Kellum had released her on no-cash bail. When Rogers returned to court on September 4 after allegedly violating bond yet again, Kellum finally imposed $1,000 cash bail. District Attorney Xavier Solis personally appeared for the State during that hearing.
A week later, Rogers was back. And so was the no-cash bail.
The public court record shows Kellum set no-cash bail Friday on the newest two felony bail-jumping charges, with a no-contact condition involving Rogers’ mother. Rogers is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on September 23 at 9:15 a.m.
The irony is difficult to miss. Rogers has now accumulated a dozen felony bail-jumping charges, nearly all of which accuse her of violating conditions imposed while she was already released in other criminal cases. The ordinary expectation might be that repeated accusations of violating release conditions would result in increasingly restrictive bail.
In Kellum’s courtroom, however, the pattern has repeatedly gone the other direction.
Catch.
Release.
Repeat.
