DOJ to review death investigations related to Eau Claire County Jail in 2023 • Wisconsin Examiner

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) is reviewing the death investigation initiated by the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office into the death of Silver O. Jenkins, 29, who was found unconscious in the Eau Claire County Jail on March 12, 2023.

In response to a July 15 Wisconsin Examiner request to St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson for public records related to the death investigation, Knudson responded July 22 that the investigation was complete and “all investigative materials have been turned over to the Wisconsin Department of Justice for review.”

However, Knudson said that after a “balancing exercise” between “public interest” and “the integrity of the legal system,” the death investigation would not be made public at this time in order to “…give the Department of Justice sufficient time to make a decision regarding the investigation before the records are released to the public.”

He added: “Public policy promotes public safety and effective law enforcement. This is supported by the decision to deny your request at this time until the Department of Justice completes its review of the investigation.”

A July 15 email exchange obtained by the Examiner between St. Croix County Sheriff Tim Kufus and Justice Department Assistant Attorney General James Kraus indicates that the Justice Department hopes to complete its review by the end of July.

“Requests for reports continue to come in. When can we expect a decision from your office? We would be happy to accommodate the requests,” Kufus wrote to Kraus. Kraus responded, “Now that we have the guidelines, I hope to complete my part of the case by the end of this month.”

Questions

In its response to Sheriff Knudson’s July 22 email, the Examiner also wanted to know when the death investigation was completed and when it was turned over to the Department of Justice for review.

Sheriff Knudson said the death investigation was completed in August 2023 and turned over to the Eau Claire Sheriff’s Office, but he did not know when Eau Claire would turn the investigation over to the Department of Justice for review.

On March 14, 2023, the Eau Claire Sheriff’s Office issued a press release regarding Jenkins’ death, noting that she “…was listed as homeless and was charged with disturbing the peace and jumping bail on February 10,” adding that she was in jail on $500 bail and made her first court appearance on February 14.

The press release also stated that the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office and the Eau Claire County Coroner’s Office are investigating the death.

It is unclear why it took an unusually long time, over a year, for details of the investigation to be released.