Wisconsin Man Charged with Stalking State Supreme Court Justice
A Racine resident, Ryan Thornton, aged 37, has been charged with stalking after allegedly sending a series of threatening emails to Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky. The charges were filed on Monday, and if found guilty, Thornton could face up to three and a half years in prison. His public defender, Britney Dickey, has not provided any comments regarding the case.
The criminal complaint outlines that Thornton sent nine emails to Justice Karofsky between August and October. These emails accused her of manipulative behavior, demanded her resignation, and provocatively asked for her home address. One email suggested she contact the Capitol Police, with Thornton noting, “What a democrat idea, tho.” Another email inquired if she would like to be involved in his helicopter videos, which authorities interpreted as Thornton believing he was under surveillance by helicopters.
Justice Karofsky, who has been a judge since 2017, reported receiving numerous threats over the years. However, Thornton’s messages were particularly alarming, causing her to fear leaving her house even for routine activities like checking her mail. She requested police protection when attending a Milwaukee Brewers game and a Wisconsin Badger game.
During an interview with investigators, Thornton made profane comments about Justice Karofsky and ominously stated that she was “going down.” He urged the investigators to contact former President Donald Trump and warned that Karofsky should prepare for a “conspiracy” by fleeing to the “hills of the feds.”
Thornton expressed dissatisfaction with an attorney who represented him in a 2019 strangulation case, claiming that the Office of Lawyer Regulation, responsible for disciplining attorneys, failed to investigate his complaints. The complaint notes that Thornton called the office over 70 times between August 1 and October 1.
