A DeForest man was sentenced in Columbia County Circuit Court on Monday in a hearing covering three felony cases, two traffic citations, and references to other charges in Dane County.
Ty J. Gruenenfelder, 36, of DeForest, appeared for his sentencing hearing in the Portage courthouse, following repeated delays in the cases, originally scheduled for sentencing in October 2023. The hearing ended in Judge Troy Cross handing down a sentence of six and a half years in prison, which included the maximum sentence for possession of methamphetamine.
The earliest of the three felony cases was filed in July 2022, based on an incident in October 2021, including the charges of second degree attempted sexual assault, domestic abuse with the use of a dangerous weapon, and felony intimidation of a victim as a repeated offense.
According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 2, 2021, a Poynette police officer was called to a local village home where over the previous night, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, the woman said that Gruenenfelder had held her down and attempted for force himself on her.
In June 2022, Gruenenfelder was also charged in Columbia County with a handful of drug charges including for possession of methamphetamine and felony repeated possession of marijuana.
While free on a $1,000 cash bond, Gruenenfelder was arrested again in March 2023, on drug charges and for bail jumping.
At his hearing on Monday, among the various initial charges, Gruenenfelder, in the first cast, entered a plea of no contest to misdemeanor domestic disorderly conduct with use of a weapon, and in the second case, entered a no contest to felony possession of methamphetamine, with the other charges dismissed, but read into the record.
District Attorney Brenda Yaskal argued for the state, recommending a sentence of one year in prison in the first case, and four years in the second case, with a year of extended supervision for both.
Defense attorney Michael Short pointed out that Gruenenfelder had been under Department of Corrections supervision at the time of the domestic abuse incident, with an investigation resulting in a recommendation of 42 days in jail.
“I don’t know how we get from the DOC doing their job and determining that 42 days is appropriate, to us ending up in court today and the state deciding it is a prison case,” said Short, suggesting that given Gruenenfelder’s time in jail since, that the time should be deemed served.
Regarding the drug charges, Short suggested that “users don’t belong in prison, users belong in treatment,” being handled by drug court or in residential treatment as opposed to prison.
“He’s a user, he’s not a dealer,” said Short, pointing out that Gruenenfelder had been a trade painter, supporting three kids along with a fourth step-child. Short then recommended a three-year sentence with one year in prison and two years supervision.
Gruenenfelder told the court that he has struggled with addiction since his teens, with the issue growing to affecting his family, fiancé and children, as well as the community.
“I want to show my children that there is more to life than mental illness and addiction,” said Gruenenfelder. “Your honor, will you please grant me the treatment that I need.”
Cross responded by saying that he has been, and is not now, a treatment provider, and cannot force a person to go to treatment. An order can be issued for a defendant to participate in treatment, but those can be easily ignored.
“You entered pleas to two felonies and a misdemeanor as a repeater,” said Cross, explaining that it was just about a month later that Gruenenfelder was charged in Dane County for substantial battery as a domestic abuse charge. “Is that your fiancé?”
“Yes.”
Cross asked, rhetorically, how that could even be an existing situation, before highlighting the range of charges Gruenenfelder had accumulated while on bail, with charges adding to over 15 years of potential prison time hanging over his head.
The argument before that Dane County case came up, according to Cross, was whether or not Gruenenfelder would be ordered to serve conditional jail time, or be released on probation directly. But as of Monday’s hearing, Gruenenfelder was on his way to prison for the Dane county abuse case and the cases at hand.
“You are pushing 20 years of problems, and when did you go to treatment?” Cross asked. “You’ve had ample opportunities to avail yourself to some form of that.”
Consequently, Cross explained he would be giving the maximum sentence for felony methamphetamine possession, but also, in the most recent case, would withhold sentencing with four years of probation.
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