Former officer faces animal sex charges
Former school resource Officer Steven Rosales was already charged with sexual misconduct at Kewaskum High School
Former school resource Officer Steven Rosales was already charged with sexual misconduct at Kewaskum High School
Former school resource Officer Steven Rosales was already charged with sexual misconduct at Kewaskum High School
New and stunning charges against a Kewaskum police lieutenant fired after he was accused of sexual misconduct with a high school student.
Wednesday, he was back in court, accused of sexual contact with his family dog. Prosecutors say the animal sex evidence surfaced during the initial investigation of Kewaskum High School resource officer Steven Rosales, 34.
Fond du Lac County Judge Tricia Walker said she considered Rosales a flight risk based on the potential prison time he faces in both cases.
Rosales held a position of trust — a Kewaskum police officer since 2017, becoming a school resource officer and promoted to lieutenant days before his arrest.
At Rosales' initial court appearance on the bestiality charges Wednesday, Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said he was concerned Rosales wouldn’t return to court if released on bail.
"There's certainly a flight risk in this particular case given the, I guess I'll say the unique nature and seriousness of the charges and admissions by the defendant," he said.
The unique case, as the district attorney puts it, involves charges Rosales had sexual contact with his pet dog several times at his Campbellsport home and photographed it.
It comes the same week Rosales was charged with grooming a high school senior for sex at Kewaskum High School, the pair exchanging 9,000 text messages in barely two months, many of them sexually explicit.
As soon as Rosales posted bail on Monday, he was arrested again on the sexual contact with an animal allegations, and charged in that case on Tuesday.
"I can assure the court that the pets at home have another place to stay," Rosales's attorney Connor Helvig assured the judge Wednesday during the initial appearance. He added Rosales was needed at home to help his pregnant wife.
"There are protections we can put in place to ensure the safety of everything and everyone," Helvig said.
But the judge disagreed, setting bail at $100,000.
"I think reasonable bond requirements would be no possession of any domesticated animals, no possession of livestock, no contact with any domesticated animals or livestock," Walker said.
After the bail was set, the district attorney was asked how unusual such a prosecution is.
"The statute that we're dealing with is rare. It certainly gets a lot of attention, and maybe understandably why," Toney said.
Rosales remains in the Fond du Lac Jail on the $100,000 bail. The district attorney said the case remains under investigation.