Shawano man charged with homicide

Michael Ingold held on $1 million cash bond in woman's death
By: 
Luke Reimer
Reporter

A 57-year-old Shawano man is facing a charge of first-degree intentional homicide in relation to the death of a woman in the Town of Wescott on June 25.

During an initial appearance in Shawano County Circuit Court on Aug. 1, Judge William F. Kussel Jr. set bond for Michael E. Ingold at $1 million cash. If convicted, Ingold faces life in prison.

The criminal complaint states that at 4:13 a.m. June 25, the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call from Ingold, where he stated that he woke up and checked on his girlfriend, only to find her deceased.

An autopsy showed that Sheila A. Laudon, 59, was strangled to death.

Ingold told the deputies that he got home at 6:30 p.m., talked with the victim, turned on the television and fell asleep on the couch, the complaint said. He stated that he woke up around 2:30 a.m. and heard the victim in the kitchen saying that she was getting a beer. He then claimed that he woke up again at 4:01 a.m. and found her deceased in the bedroom.

Detectives received the autopsy report of the victim’s death on July 21, stating that the cause of death was manual strangulation.

On July 27, two detectives interviewed Ingold at the sheriff’s department, told Ingold that the victim died from strangulation and that the detectives believed that he caused it. Ingold responded, saying, “No it’s not, no it’s not, I didn’t touch her,” according to the complaint. Ingold acknowledged he and Laudon were the only two people in the house but continued to deny touching her, the complaint said.

Court records show that Ingold was arrested after a previous incident with Laudon on June 29, 2020. Ingold was charged in Waukesha County with strangulation and suffocation, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, battery and operating a firearm while intoxicated. In that case, Ingold had allegedly strangled the victim and threatened to kill her. Bail conditions restricted Ingold from having contact with the victim.

But prosecutors said they could not locate her, and on Oct. 5, 2021, Waukesha County issued a witness warrant for the victim. The charges were dismissed in January, with prosecutors saying they could not proceed to trial.

The new complaint indicates Ingold told detectives that the two moved to Shawano County because he allegedly wanted to protect her.

Kussel scheduled a status conference for Aug. 12.