Cary Madrigal placed on administrative leave by Racine County sheriff
Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling placed Capt. Cary Madrigal on administrative leave four days after she lost the sheriff's race. The office says she is not the subject of the criminal investigation and the leave is unrelated to the election.
RACINE COUNTY, Wis. — Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling has placed Capt. Cary Madrigal, the Republican who lost Tuesday’s election for sheriff, on administrative leave while another agency investigates a different person and the Sheriff’s Office reviews her own actions, the office confirmed Saturday.
“Captain Madrigal is not the focus or subject of the criminal investigation,” Lt. Michael Luell, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office public information officer, wrote in a statement sent to news organizations Saturday afternoon and posted to the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. The leave is “absolutely not related to the recent election,” he wrote, but once “the relevant information came to the attention of Sheriff Schmaling, he took immediate steps to ensure the integrity of the investigation by turning the allegations over to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.”
The statement does not say which criminal investigation is involved, what Madrigal is alleged to have done, when the leave began or whether it is paid. The Sheriff’s Office “will not be providing any additional information or comment at this time,” Luell wrote.
Reached by text Saturday afternoon, Madrigal said she could not comment. Racine County Eye has sent Chase Forster, the press information office for the Kenosha Sheriff’s Office, written questions and will update this story when he responds.
What the Sheriff’s Office confirmed, and what it didn’t
According to the statement, the leave is tied to two things: a criminal investigation of “another individual,” and “a pending internal administrative review of Captain Madrigal’s actions.” Schmaling made the decision, Luell wrote, and referred the allegations to Kenosha County.
Racine County Eye asked the Sheriff’s Office Saturday to identify the criminal case, say whether the leave is paid, give its start date, say who is conducting the internal review and whether any restrictions have been placed on Madrigal’s access to Sheriff’s Office facilities. The office had not answered as of publication. Racine County Eye has also requested the leave notice, any directive to personnel about the leave, and the referral to Kenosha County under Wisconsin’s public records law.
The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office had not responded to questions about the referral as of publication.
The Union Grove case
The only Racine County Sheriff’s Office investigation publicly known to have been handed to Kenosha County in recent weeks is the case against Thomas Johnson, 51, the Union Grove Union High School District administrator, who was charged Nov. 5 in Kenosha County Circuit Court with two felony counts of possessing child pornography, the term Wisconsin law uses for child sexual abuse material. The Sheriff’s Office has not said whether that is the investigation referenced in Saturday’s statement.
According to the criminal complaint in that case, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous letter about Johnson on Oct. 22. Racine County investigators interviewed Johnson at his home Oct. 23 and again at his office at Union Grove High School on Oct. 26, and referred the case to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 27, the complaint states. Johnson’s home is in Kenosha County, which is where the case was filed.
During the Oct. 26 interview, according to the complaint, Johnson told investigators he had spoken with someone at the Sheriff’s Office about the investigation before it was formally assigned. The complaint does not name that person.
Racine County Eye flagged that unanswered question in its Nov. 6 story: who Johnson spoke with, and whether that contact is under review. Saturday’s statement from the Sheriff’s Office does not answer it, and nothing in the public record connects Madrigal to Johnson or to the Union Grove district. Johnson is presumed innocent unless and until convicted. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Four days after the election
Madrigal, a 26-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and its operations captain for the past six years, lost the Nov. 3 election to Democrat Donald Vandervest, a deputy assigned to courthouse security. Vandervest led 27,569 to 23,870, or 53.6% to 46.4%, with 16 of 88 precincts outstanding in the county’s election-night report; results are unofficial until the county canvass certifies them. Vandervest takes office in January, replacing Schmaling, who announced in January that he would retire after 16 years as sheriff and who endorsed Madrigal in the race.
Madrigal’s campaign was shadowed by a court fight over her personnel file. After a resident’s open records request, Racine County Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz ordered the release of three disciplinary records from 2006, 2012 and 2025, and Madrigal made them public herself. The 2025 record was a 10-day unpaid suspension related to her handling of complaints about former Deputy Preston Kite, who was later convicted on child sexual abuse material charges.
Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson, whose office prosecutes cases the Sheriff’s Office brings, was co-manager of Madrigal’s campaign, as she told Racine County Eye in July. The Kenosha County district attorney is prosecuting Johnson.
About the social media post
A post circulating on Facebook since Friday claimed Madrigal had been barred from non-public areas of the Sheriff’s Office and quoted what it described as an internal memo. The Sheriff’s Office statement does not say that, Racine County Eye has not seen any such memo, and the post’s stated source, “MBRR Media Reports,” has no website or published record that Racine County Eye could find. Racine County Eye is reporting only what the Sheriff’s Office has confirmed and what court records show.
What we don’t know
- Which criminal investigation the Sheriff’s Office is referring to. It has not said.
- What Madrigal’s “actions” under review are, who is reviewing them, and whether the review involves the Oct. 22–27 period before the Johnson case was transferred.
- When the leave began and whether it is paid.
- Whether the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office received a referral about Madrigal’s conduct separate from the Johnson case.
Racine County Eye will update this story as the Sheriff’s Office, Madrigal’s attorney and the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office respond, and when the public records request is answered.
Related coverage
- Union Grove superintendent on unpaid leave after court appearance on child sexual abuse material charges (Nov. 6, 2026)
- Union Grove superintendent arrested in child sex abuse material investigation (Nov. 4, 2026)
- AP calls Wisconsin for Crowley, Kaul and Racine’s Jung; Berman widens lead over Steil (Nov. 3, 2026)
- Voters are hearing a lot about Cary Madrigal. Here’s what the records show. (Aug. 8, 2026)
Disclosure: The Madrigal campaign purchased advertising on Racine County Eye during the 2026 election. Advertising has no role in our editorial decisions.
Sources: Racine County Sheriff’s Office statement to media and Facebook post, Nov. 7, 2026; text exchange with Cary Madrigal, Nov. 7, 2026; Kenosha County Circuit Court case 2026CF001581 and criminal complaint filed Nov. 5, 2026; Racine County Election Summary Report, Nov. 3, 2026; Racine County Eye reporting.
