Former Green Bay Packer sentenced in Wausau stalking case

A former Green Bay Packer and Wisconsin Badger football player was convicted last week of several crimes in Wausau, though a judge dismissed felony stalking and victim intimidation charges filed against him.

Charges in three separate cases were filed in 2022 and 2023 against Bill Ferrario, 45, the most serious of which were the stalking and victim intimidation charges.

Police responded three times to Ferrario’s Aspen Grove Lane Home in a roughly three-week span in late 2022 and early 2023, according to court documents. In the first call, Ferrario was accused of grabbing a woman’s wrist, but no criminal charges were filed. Then on Jan. 2, police responded again to the home for a report Ferrario was intoxicated and argumentative, frightening two women in the home. An officer transported Ferrario to a hotel for the night, with no charges filed.

But on Jan. 3, police were once again summoned to the home after Ferrario entered the garage before throwing items and screaming profanity when he found the door to the home was locked. The two women inside the home told police they feared for their safety. This time, Ferrario was arrested and taken to the Marathon County Jail. He was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct-domestic abuse the following day.

Ferrario was already facing criminal charges connected to an Oct. 12 town of Wausau crash. Then, a preliminary breath test showed he was driving with a blood alcohol concentration nearly three times the legal limit when he crashed his vehicle just before noon on Hwy. X near Hwy. 52. Ferrario, who allegedly told investigators he had ingested a “half to a third liter bottle of vodka” between 4:30 a.m. and the time of the crash, was not injured but was entrapped in the vehicle.

The PBT taken at the scene showed a result of 0.222, court records show. He was previously convicted of drunken driving in 2020.

In March, a judge issued a warrant for Ferrario’s arrest after he violated a no-contact order in the January case. Police say Ferrario called the victim repeatedly in the course of several hours and tried to persuade several third parties to urge her to take his calls. When warned the police would be notified, Ferrario allegedly said the woman would “see a boot through the door and really give you a reason to call the police,” court records state.

In police reports, investigators noted their concern about behavior that appeared to be escalating, as well as his apparent unwillingness to follow court rules.

Ferrario appeared Aug. 14 for a plea and sentencing hearing for all cases with Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobson presiding. During the hearing, the judge dismissed the stalking charge and amended the felony victim intimidation charge to a misdemeanor. In addition to the intimidation charge, Ferrario was convicted of disorderly conduct and bail jumping, along with second-offense drunken driving.

Judge Jacobson issued a withheld sentence for Ferrario, which means he can avoid prison time if he is successful on probation for 18 months. Ferrario was also ordered to undergo AODA treatment and counseling and participate in the Safe program. He will spend 35 days in jail on the OWI charge and pay a $1,555 fine.

Ferrario was a fourth-round selection and 201st overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, remaining through the 2002 season where he saw action in all 16 games. Waived by Green Bay in 2003, Ferrario signed with Washington in 2004 only to be released the same year. He signed with the Carolina Panthers on November 11, 2004 but did not play in any games that season. Farrario was released the following August. As a Badger, he was a second-team All Big 10 guard and started all 50 games of his college career.