Court approves bond motion for Retzlaff

Former campground owner looking for month-long vaction with family outside of Wisconsin
By: 
Luke Reimer
Reporter

Ann Retzlaff appeared over telephone in court on Dec. 5 in regards to a hearing on a recently filed motion.

During the motion hearing, Marathon County Circuit Court Judge Michael Moran said that Retzlaff filed the bond motion in order to travel out of state from Dec. 8 through Jan. 3 with her children to visit family members. Moran clarified with defense attorney Michael Hughes, who is representing Retzlaff, that she will not be residing outside of the state. Retzlaff did not indicate where she is going.

“She wants to take her three teenage children and travel out of state for winter break,” said Hughes. “The plans haven’t been finalized as there are still family court issues that need to be navigated, and because she can’t travel without permission from the court, she hasn’t made any plans yet.”

Moran clarified with Hughes that Retzlaff is not looking for any other bond modifications.

District Attorney Greg Parker objected to the motion, because Retzlaff previously failed to appear for a court date and prosecutors consider her a flight risk, stating that she is still engaging in “sovereign-citizen type” behavior. He also said that the district attorney’s office received a notice of a lien against a Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court judge and the Shawano County corporation counsel.

Parker also explained that the district attorney’s office received information from the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department that Retzlaff had allegedly contacted someone from a church, asking to take her out of the jurisdiction.

“The detective has a summary that says Ann called the church and said that she was looking for a ride to a Shell station in Gary, Indiana, on I-94,” said Parker. “She is currently staying in a camper in Reedsburg and that person notified law enforcement. Ann wouldn’t give her last name and said that she needed to stay under the radar. The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department sent a photo down to (Sauk County) and the defendant was identified by both the husband and complainant in this case.”

Parker said that if the Sauk County is confirmed, a bail jumping count will be filed.

Hughes responded saying that sovereign-citizen behavior or the incident involving Indiana — since charges have not yet been filed — should not have an impact on whether she goes on a winter vacation with her kids.

“In terms of Gary, it is certainly interesting for us to note, and I think we will see more documents pursued for litigation down the road for that matter,” said Hughes, noting that Retzlaff is asking for permission from the court, as opposed to going on her own. “But at the end of the day, Ms. Retzlaff is asking for permission to go on a trip with her teenage children. I think it is always good for our mental health to get out of the state at least once over winter and spend time with their families.”

Moran said that he would approve the bond motion, not immediately, but once Retzlaff detailed an itinerary for him for Dec. 8 to Jan. 3. He added that he cannot take the Indiana incident into consideration for bond, because she has not been charged.

“Any violation of the bond could result in all, or some of that money being forfeited,” said Moran. “If it is forfeited, it could up in a bond situation, where it could endanger the possibility of being able to pay for counsel. There is a lot here, is what I am getting at. I am very optimistic and hopeful that Ms. Retzlaff will respect this court.”

A final pre-trial is scheduled for Retzlaff for Jan. 12. Retzlaff is facing felony charges dating back to May 2021 of fleeing and eluding officers and two counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, as well as a misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer. She also faces misdemeanor charges through Menominee County for resisting and failing to stop. Bail jumping and disorderly conduct charges were added in April after she missed two court appearances in late 2021, and deputies arrested her in Wittenberg.

The criminal complaint in the circuit court shows that a Shawano County deputy heard on Menominee County radio traffic about a high-speed chase involving a vehicle registered to Retzlaff for failing to stop at a traffic light, according to the criminal complaint. The chase, starting in Keshena on state Highway 47-55, continued through the towns of Wescott and Richmond, where deputies twice laid out spike strips, and ended on state Highway 29 just west of County Road MMM.

Deputies with Shawano and Menominee counties initiated a “high-risk stop,” according to the complaint, and shut down traffic on the highway’s westbound lanes. A lieutenant advised Retzlaff to get out of the vehicle, but she allegedly said she was a “sovereign citizen” and would not exit. A deputy used a slim jim to open the passenger door, which is when Retzlaff allegedly tried to drive off, nearly hitting two Shawano County officials.

Eventually, the vehicle was stopped again, and deputies pulled Retzlaff out of her vehicle. According to the complaint, as she was being handcuffed and searched, she claimed the deputies were involved with covering up sex trafficking.


lreimer@newmedia-wi.com