Letter: Former police captain endorses Molepske
To the Editor-
The local news often reports a person has been arrested for a crime or that a crime is under investigation.
The news may show a law enforcement officer or the mugshot of the accused but rarely do we hear that long before any of the information in a case is revealed that the Portage County District Attorney’s Office has been on the case working hand in hand with the police. From law enforcements’ initial phone call to a prosecutor that a serious crime has occurred to the trial of the defendant months and sometimes years later, no crime can proceed without the assistance and work of the Portage County District Attorney’s Office.
Portage County District Attorney Louis Molepske, Jr. has supported and intensely worked with law enforcement each day for the past nine years as District Attorney. As a retired (2020) Captain of the Village of Plover Police Department, I worked closely with DA Molepske on several very complicated and important cases including a multi-county homicide, a bodyless homicide, and several complicated first-degree sexual assaults of children and women cases. I also worked with DA Molepske to help turn around non-violent offenders by offering them a way to earn a non-criminal disposition.
I found DA Molepske to be highly competent, compassionate, intensely engaged, and always concerned about the victims involved and the ultimate protection of the public.
DA Molepske is a hands-on trial attorney and prosecutor. Whether it was 2:00 am or if he was on vacation, DA Molepske would always answer law enforcement calls about an investigation, especially difficult on the spot questions that were highly consequential and required a keen knowledge of the law and understanding of the consequences for doing or not doing something at that moment.
I am supporting DA Louis Molepske, Jr. for Portage County Judge Branch 2, because a judge must be able to make decisions that require a high degree of legal competence, integrity, and understanding of the community. DA Molepske has shown and applied those skills in his daily work as Portage County District Attorney for over nine years in thousands of decisions and cases he has worked on with law enforcement, victims and the public.
He is ready to become our next Judge for Portage County Branch 2, because he has never turned his back on law enforcement or the community he serves. Please join me in voting for DA Louis Molepske, Jr. for Portage County Judge Branch 2 on April 5.
Gary Widder
Retired Captain Plover Police Department