A Wisconsin man is now facing felony bail jumping charges in addition to the initial felony bestiality charged after allegedly engaging in sexual contact with an animal in violation of Wis. Stat. 944.18(2)(a).
Hardy J. Ripp who resides on the N1400 block of County Road I in Arlington, Wis. is also facing misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges.
Ripp who is represented by Madison-based criminal defense attorney Sarah M Schmeiser, is expected to return to the Columbia County Courthouse on July 3, 2024 at 10 a.m.
Columbia County District Attorney Brenda Yaskal is the prosecuting attorney on the case.
Ripp is accused of engaging in sexual activity with a dog.
The dog owner was Ripp's former finance, the victim told the Wisconsin Law Journal Monday during a telephone interview.
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous said she had known Ripp since 2013 --- more than a decade, and although he had not previously engaged in bestiality to her knowledge, he had allegedly been abusive to her.
The victim said she approached local law enforcement and Yaskal's office who declined to press charges, despite the victim producing both audio and video evidence and having multiple witnesses.
The Wisconsin Law Journal reached out the Yashkal's office Monday morning, but did not receive a response prior to publication on Tuesday.
The Wisconsin Law Journal also reached out to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office Monday to determine if a referral was made to the Columbia County District Attorney's office previously.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office told the Wisconsin Law Journal Monday back in 2020, "a variety of charges were forwarded to the Columbia County District Attorney's office for review."
The Sheriff's office said the prior incident occurred back on October 20, 2020, however, according to CCAPS nothing became of those incidents.
The victim said the Ripp's family comes from money and is actively involved in the Catholic Church. She also noted the family is art of a well-respected $10 million daily farm family which also owns a series of restaurants, bars, and trucking companies.
"They have so much influence, which I think is a factor why the District Attorney chose not to pursue charges," prior to the alleged bestiality incident, she said.
"His family is well into 200 plus people, and has family member in local government," she added.
According to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by the Wisconsin Law Journal, on March 29, 2024, Ripp knowingly engaged “in sexual contact with an animal.” If convicted, he faces a $10,0000 fine and six years in prison.
Ripp also allegedly engaged in “violent, abusive, incident, profane, boisterous, unreasonably loud or otherwise disorderly conduct," the complaint noted.
During an interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal Monday, the victim said she has multiple animals at her home and placed several cameras in the home to make sure the animals are safe while she was away from home.
On March 29, the victim says she observed on the camera her fianc engaging in sexual contact with one of her dogs, while he was allegedly drunk.
The victim wrote a written statement detailing the events.
The victim also said she was advised to contact the State Bar of Wisconsin's lawyer referral service, where she received referrals to multiple Wisconsin attorneys who informed her the only civil remedy would be an emotional distress claim, but that would be barred by the statute of limitations as most of the abuse against her occurred several years ago.
Although the victim has not been successful in seeking justice previously, she is hopeful Ripp will be held accountable for his most recent alleged behavior.
"My goal is prison time for him and for him to be on the sex offender's registry list," she said, noting she wants this case to bring more mental health awareness to substance use issues.
For the past 20 years, the Ripp Family farm has offered tours with Kindergarteners, according to a report from Wisconsin Farmer.
Copyright © 2024 BridgeTower Media. All Rights Reserved.
Most Popular
Comments / 0