(C) Wisconsin Watch This story was originally published by Wisconsin Watch and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . FDL police detective's phone had 'disturbing texts and social media posts,' DOJ report states [1] [] Date: 2021-07-14 FOND DU LAC – An investigation into alleged wrongdoing by a Fond du Lac police detective found no crimes to prosecute but did reveal "disturbing" activities including racially biased text messages and mishandling of evidence, the investigator reported. The report issued June 11 by a special agent from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, obtained by The Reporter through an open records request, outlines three complaints against William Ledger that the agent deemed not criminal but noted could affect the detective's future employment with the department. Ledger has been on paid administrative leave since August 2020 for what the department said are personnel matters. The Police Department delayed its own internal investigation while the outside interview was being conducted. "The special prosecutor’s criminal review is and remains a separate process from the department’s internal investigation," said City Attorney Deborah Hoffmann. "The city is assessing next steps regarding the internal investigation now that the criminal review is complete." According to the report, the first complaint involved Ledger repeating gossip about the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department handling of a homicide case to a defense attorney who was a friend of Ledger's. The defendant's attorney then filed a post-conviction motion, which required a response from the district attorney's office, thereby wasting "precious time and resources," the report stated. The investigator indicated that the conduct showed poor judgment for Ledger but did not elaborate on the nature of the gossip. In the second complaint, Ledger improperly disposed of evidence from a Lake Winnebago Area Meg drug enforcement unit investigation after seizing a computer related to a drug case. The computer reportedly sat somewhere in the department until a supervisor formally ordered Ledger to inventory the item. Instead, Ledger removed the hard drive and gave the computer to a repair shop, telling the owner he could use it for spare parts, the report states. The investigator concluded Ledger's actions should be considered a theft, but that with the hard drive removed, it made it impossible to "determine when the computer was seized, where it was seized from, why the computer was seized or who owns the computer." "This action reflects dishonesty on the part of Detective Ledger and this dishonesty in covering up his actions had resulted in my inability to prosecute the case," the investigator wrote. The third complaint involves misuse of police information. Ledger reportedly ran a license plate number for his brother-in-law for a reason not revealed to law enforcement, and disclosed that information to his brother-in-law. Police officers are prohibited from using the database for personal reasons. The investigator initially issued a complaint against Ledger for unlawfully accessing the information, but then decided a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling on a similar case indicated prosecution would be prohibited under state law. However, his actions show insubordination from Ledger, the investigator wrote. At the conclusion of the report, the investigator noted: "The download of Detective Ledger's work-issued phone contains very disturbing texts and social media posts which demonstrate racial bias and should be reviewed by administration." The text messages and social media posts were not included in the investigator's report. The report also recommends Ledger be placed on a Brady/Giglio list and that this information be disclosed at any court proceeding in which the detective testifies. A Giglio or Brady list is compiled usually by a prosecutor's office or a police department containing the names and details of law enforcement officers who have had sustained incidents of untruthfulness, criminal convictions, candor issues, or some other type of issue placing their credibility into question, according to the International Association of Police Chiefs. The DOJ investigator's report was issued by the Outagamie District Attorney's Office, the outside agency asked to handle the investigation. This isn't the first time Ledger has been called out for questionable conduct on social media. He was called out in 2016 after photos were posted on his wife's personal Facebook page that showed the two of them dressed in Halloween costumes. She wore a pig-tailed wig, a sweatshirt that made her appear pregnant and black-and-blue makeup around her eyes and mouth. Ledger posed holding his fist up to her face, wearing a long-haired wig, a flannel shirt and jeans rolled up. The couple is smiling and holding cans of what appears to be beer. Text posted with the photo read: “Don’t talk back to the boss.” A second photo of Ledger showed a close-up of the couple, and Ledger is making a gesture that symbolizes performing oral sex on a woman. Ledger was counseled on the appropriateness of his conduct for the Halloween costume incident, said Assistant Chief Steve Klein said. This is Ledger's 27th year with the department. Contact Sharon Roznik at 920-907-7936 or sroznik@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/reporterroz/ RELATED: Fond du Lac police detective placed on administrative leave RELATED: Detective blasted for offensive costume [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/2021/07/14/fond-du-lac-police-detective-investigation-shows-dishonesty-gossip/7964489002/ Published and (C) by Wisconsin Watch Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-ND 4.0 Intl. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/wisconsinwatch/