(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
KENOSHA, Wis. — A Kenosha woman who was originally charged with a felony for allegedly kicking a police officer twice during a drunken confrontation received probation last month after prosecutors agreed to dismiss the felony charge, while a liberal Kenosha County judge sentenced her to just 10 days of confinement in a separate second-offense OWI case.
Tabitha A. Armes, 30, of Kenosha, appeared before Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Jason A. Rossell on Sept. 15 for a combined plea and sentencing hearing covering two criminal cases. District Attorney Xavier Solis appeared for the state. Under the resolution, prosecutors dismissed Armes’ felony battery to a public officer charge and misdemeanor bail jumping charge. Armes pleaded guilty to resisting an officer and making a false emergency 911 call. Rossell withheld sentence and placed her on probation for one year.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
In Armes’ separate OWI case, prosecutors dismissed a controlled-substance possession charge and Armes pleaded guilty to second-offense OWI. Rossell sentenced her to 10 days of confinement, with credit for one day already served, meaning she had nine additional days to serve. She was also ordered to pay a $350 fine plus costs, had her driver’s license revoked for 12 months and was ordered to use an ignition interlock device for 12 months. The disposition represented a significant reduction from what Armes originally faced after a January encounter with Kenosha police.
Repeated 911 Calls Lead Police To Armes
According to the criminal complaint, Kenosha police were dispatched at about 1:29 a.m. on Jan. 30 after a woman repeatedly called 911. During one of the calls, the woman was reportedly yelling that officers needed to learn how to do their jobs.
Police said the caller gave an address in the 5500 block of 23rd Avenue, while the phone was mapping to a different location. The complaint says the caller had made several other calls throughout the evening that mapped to various locations around Kenosha.
Officers eventually found a white Jaguar registered to Armes parked in front of a driveway. Police said the vehicle was positioned so that its rear end obstructed the driveway and prevented another vehicle from leaving. Armes was sitting in the front passenger seat, according to prosecutors. When she opened the door, police reported that her eyes were glossy, her speech was slow and slurred, and she smelled of alcohol.
Police learned Armes had another pending criminal case and was subject to bond conditions prohibiting her from possessing or consuming alcohol. Officers then attempted to arrest her.
Prosecutors Say Armes Fought Arrest And Kicked Officer
According to the complaint, Armes initially attempted to close the vehicle door on officers. When police told her to get out, she allegedly remained seated and then pulled her body weight back into the vehicle when officers attempted to remove her.
Two officers eventually pulled Armes from the Jaguar. Police said she continued resisting while officers attempted to handcuff her, including flexing her wrist and attempting to pull it away. After she was handcuffed and brought to her feet, police said Armes initially walked toward a patrol vehicle before yelling, “you’re not going to do this today,” and attempting to pull away again.
Officers stabilized her against the hood of a squad car, where prosecutors say she continued yelling and began thrashing her body. The struggle continued when officers attempted to put Armes into the back of a patrol vehicle. According to the complaint, she put one foot inside before pulling it back out, refused additional commands to enter and pushed her body weight backward as officers attempted to get her inside.
Police ultimately began pulling Armes into the squad from the opposite side. That’s when prosecutors alleged Armes began kicking at officers. She allegedly struck one Kenosha police officer twice in the upper arm, causing him pain.
The allegations resulted in a Class I felony charge of battery to a public officer, which alone carried a maximum possible sentence of 3½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Prosecutors also charged Armes with resisting an officer, false emergency 911 phone use and misdemeanor bail jumping.
The felony battery and bail jumping charges were ultimately dismissed on the prosecution’s motion as part of the September resolution. Armes was convicted only of resisting and false 911 use, and Rossell withheld sentence in favor of one year of probation.
Second OWI Case
The bond violation alleged in the police confrontation stemmed from another criminal case already pending against Armes. That case began after Kenosha County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched on March 14, 2025, for a welfare check. Armes told dispatch she was driving and, while still on the phone, began crying and said she was lost. She also told dispatch she did not want to pull over and intended to drive home.
When deputies contacted Armes, she gave inconsistent statements and told deputies she had taken three Xanax pills that morning, according to the amended criminal complaint. Deputies conducted field sobriety testing. Although a preliminary breath test registered 0.00, deputies reported observing signs they believed indicated impairment by a drug.
During one test, Armes counted “21 one-thousand,” then jumped to “30 one-thousand,” followed by “40 one-thousand” and “41 one-thousand.” During other testing, deputies reported a lack of convergence in one eye, eyelid tremors and exaggerated movements.
Deputies concluded Armes showed impairment from an unknown drug and arrested her for operating while impaired. A search of her vehicle allegedly uncovered two blue pills. Authorities identified the pills as clonazepam. Armes was ultimately charged with second-offense OWI and possession of a controlled substance.
Court records show Armes had a prior qualifying OWI-related conviction from Milwaukee County in 2022. During the Sept. 15 plea hearing, prosecutors moved to dismiss the drug-possession charge. Armes pleaded guilty to second-offense OWI, and Rossell imposed the 10-day sentence.
The statutory sentencing range for a second OWI is five days to six months of confinement, meaning Armes received a sentence five days above the statutory minimum.
Felony Dismissed, Probation Ordered
The same hearing disposed of the January police confrontation. Prosecutors dismissed the felony battery charge that accused Armes of injuring the Kenosha police officer, along with the bail jumping charge. Rossell accepted Armes’ guilty pleas to resisting an officer and false emergency 911 use but withheld sentence and ordered one year of probation.
Her probation conditions include no possession or consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs, compliance with her probation agent, payment of court costs and participation in counseling or treatment deemed appropriate by her agent, which can include alcohol and drug treatment, anger management, psychological or psychiatric counseling and an AODA assessment.
The court also ordered probation officials to notify Rossell in writing if Armes has a dirty drug test or if there is proof that she possesses or consumes alcohol or illegal drugs. Armes’ original felony case began with a $5,000 cash bail after her January arrest. By the time the case ended less than eight months later, the felony accusation that she battered a Kenosha police officer was gone, and her convictions for resisting police and abusing the 911 system resulted in probation rather than additional confinement.
3 Responses
So now our police officers aren’t even safe from our judges. Me thinks the force should have a little get together with some of these judges.
The Arrogant Judge Rossell
Should give her an award.