SOMERS, Wis. — Tammy Jo Rose, the embattled bailiff for Judge Chad Kerkman (D), is again at the center of controversy — this time involving her miniature horse, Sir Trottington, which she claims is an emotional support animal. Despite being cited several times for violating local ordinances, Rose now appears poised to receive a taxpayer-funded settlement worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Court and village records show Rose has been ticketed multiple times over the past year for violating Somers ordinances requiring at least three acres of property to keep a horse. Her lot on 12th Street is only about one and a half acres — roughly half the required minimum — yet she has continued to keep the horse on the property. Neighbors say the animal has been seen wandering free on several occasions, including at night.

Rose is currently out on felony bail in a separate Kenosha County case, where she is charged with identity theft after allegedly using a former boyfriend’s business account to make unauthorized purchases at Sherwin-Williams.

Multiple residents have also reported that Rose keeps the miniature horse inside her home during the colder months, raising concerns about sanitary conditions, odor, and potential health hazards for both the occupants and the animal.

After being found guilty in a February 2025 trial before a municipal judge, Rose appealed and later enlisted the help of the Disability Rights Center of Wisconsin, claiming her miniature horse was an emotional support or service animal. Attorney Hannah Balder of the Disability Rights Center entered her appearance in July 2025, arguing that Rose was entitled to keep the horse under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act. She won’t comment to KCE.

According to multiple sources familiar with ongoing discussions, Rose is now working with the Department of Justice on a settlement that could pay her tens of thousands of dollars from Village of Somers taxpayers. The reported agreement would allow her to keep the horse on her undersized property — an exception no other resident has ever been granted — as long as she builds a fence with part of the money. The rest of the funds would be hers to keep.

Village President George Stoner has reportedly approved or is preparing to approve the deal. He did not respond to a request for comment from Kenosha County Eye.

Village Administrator Jim Hurley told KCE today “The Village’s legal counsel is in discussion with Ms. Rose’s legal counsel. No terms have been finalized.”

Some residents are furious, calling the arrangement “special treatment” for a courthouse insider. “If this were anyone else, they’d have been fined and forced to remove the animal months ago,” one taxpayer said. “Instead, she gets paid.”

Records show Rose was personally served with multiple citations and municipal complaints, each detailing violations of Somers Ordinance §10.03(b)(1) — regulating large animals and fowl. Despite warnings from inspectors and sheriff’s deputies, Rose continued to house the horse, even after being told her property did not qualify.

Village enforcement officers noted the horse’s recurring escapes, including one report from August 25, 2024, when deputies found the miniature horse tied to a tree along County Highway E after escaping from Rose’s yard yet again.

The situation has sparked debate not only over taxpayer money but also over whether the Disability Rights Center of Wisconsin was misled. Some local officials believe attorney Balder and her Madison-based organization were “duped” into defending a frivolous claim from a politically connected courthouse employee.

Rose, who remains closely linked to Judge Kerkman, has not publicly commented. Kerkman himself has declined to answer Kenosha County Eye’s questions about his bailiff’s ongoing legal issues. He has also shielded her from having to be booked into the jail and photographed like anyone else being charged with a felony. Tens of thousands of mugshots are on the Sheriff’s website — some for misdemeanors, some for ordinance violations — but not one for Ms. Rose.

With DOJ involvement and a large settlement apparently imminent, Rose is not only receiving a payout but also being granted special permission to keep a horse on a property barely half the size required by ordinance — a privilege no one else in the village enjoys. Residents are questioning whether this could set a dangerous precedent, allowing anyone in Kenosha County — or even across Wisconsin — to simply claim their horse is an emotional support animal to skirt zoning, acreage, and public health requirements.

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