MONROE — Jeff Sturdevant is under investigation following an anonymous email alleging numerous instances of misconduct and sexual assault by the New Glarus police lieutenant and part-time Green County sheriff’s deputy.
The email was sent late Wednesday, Jan. 16, to members of law enforcement and area media outlets from a Gmail address that identified the sender only as a “Concerned Citizen.” The email address itself references “corrupt cops” and the ZIP code for Monroe
The 935-word message includes specific dates, locations, full names and other identifying details for allegations of misconduct in Green County dating back to 2010.
Due to the “serious nature of the allegations,” Sturdevant has been “temporarily placed on restrictive administrative duties” while another agency investigates the claims, Burt Boldebuck, New Glarus chief of police, wrote in a statement on Friday.
The agency assigned to investigate Sturdevant, a Monroe resident, is the Monroe Police Department, Boldebuck added.
Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley confirmed Monday that his department had been assigned to investigate the claims against Sturdevant and are making it a priority “because of the seriousness of the allegations.”
“We’ve been tasked with interviewing people, and looking into the allegations in this anonymous letter,” he said.
Kelley said he was part of the discussion on which outside agency should investigate Sturdevant.
“It was, to me, quite clear that the best agency to look into this, of the agencies around here, is the Monroe Police Department,” he said, noting that Sturdevant has never worked for the department. “We have no specific direct connection. I feel confident that we’ll be able to take a neutral look at this.”
On Thursday, as a result of the email, Sturdevant was also put on leave from the Green County Sheriff’s Office, where he was working “very infrequently” as a deputy and courtroom bailiff, said Sheriff Jeff Skatrud. Sturdevant’s duties for the sheriff’s office did not include patrol or detective work, Skatrud said.
The sheriff’s office will also be conducting a separate, internal investigation of Sturdevant, Skatrud said.
“We’re still ingesting the information in this email,” Skatrud said. “It’s a lot of information. A lot of that information is dated. Some of it may be outside the statute of limitations, if there is substance to it.”
Still, he said, “we take these allegations seriously.”
The allegations against Sturdevant include sexually assaulting a woman in 2013, purchasing alcohol for minors in 2010, sexually harassing underage girls in 2013 and allowing friends to drive drunk in 2018.
None of the allegations include on-duty misconduct. However, the “Concerned Citizen” wrote that Sturdevant demonstrates a “long pattern, throughout his career” of violating “the laws he has been sworn to uphold” and allowing or assisting others in violating the law using his position or reputation as a law enforcement officer.
District Attorney Craig Nolen, a recipient of the email, said he didn’t “have a formal say” in deciding which outside agency would investigate the claims against Sturdevant, but added that he had been consulted.
Some of the allegations are “not exactly criminal-level activity, but it is going to be investigated,” Nolen said.
Given his working relationship with Sturdevant, any alleged offense that does get referred for prosecution would be referred to an outside prosecutor, he said.
Boldebuck stressed on Friday afternoon that “all of these allegations have been made anonymously and are currently unsubstantiated by anyone,” adding that he was reluctant to comment in any detail “in fairness to my employee” and “until the allegations have been either substantiated or at least somewhat confirmed.”
Sturdevant started his career as an officer with the New Glarus Police Department in 2001 and was promoted to sergeant in 2004. His LinkedIn page indicates he has worked for the sheriff’s office for the same length of time.
In a January 2017 announcement of Sturdevant’s promotion to lieutenant, Boldebuck wrote that Sturdevant had “obtained over $70,000 in state and federal grant money and equipment” in his role as the department’s grant coordinator. He wrote that Sturdevant was also responsible for conducting most of the department’s major investigations and other day-to-day responsibilities.