On Saturday, November 7, 2026, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office issued the following statement through its Public Information Officer, Lt. Michael J. Luell, confirming that Captain Cary Madrigal had been placed on administrative leave. The statement is reproduced in full.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office can confirm that, per the decision of Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, Captain Madrigal has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation of another individual and a pending internal administrative review of Captain Madrigal’s actions.
Lt. Michael J. Luell, Public Information Officer, Racine County Sheriff’s Office, November 7, 2026
Captain Madrigal is not the focus or subject of the criminal investigation. This administrative suspension is absolutely not related to the recent election; however, 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 Sheriff’s Office will not be providing any additional information or comment at this time.
Context. The “criminal investigation of another individual” is the Kenosha County case against the Union Grove High School superintendent, charged November 5, 2026 with two counts of possession of child pornography; he is presumed innocent. According to the criminal complaint, an anonymous letter reached Sheriff’s Office “Administration” on October 22, 2026; by the superintendent’s own account, someone from the Sheriff’s Office visited him at the school that same day, before any device was examined. The complaint does not say who. The case was transferred to Kenosha County on October 27–28.
What H.O.T. Government has asked. In records requests to the Sheriff’s Office and Corporation Counsel, H.O.T. has asked for the date the Union Grove letter came to Sheriff Schmaling’s attention and who in Administration held it before then; the case number, date opened, and assigned investigator for the “internal administrative review of Captain Madrigal’s actions”; and the county’s written outside-employment authorization for the Public Information Officer’s private law-enforcement consulting firm. H.O.T. will publish the responses, or the absence of them.
The full record of the Kite matter, including the sealed Hall Report, is at The Kite File: Off the Books.