Woman who kicked, bit cop pleads to lesser charges

A 22-year-old woman who faced felony charges accusing her of kicking and biting a police officer after she was found barely clothed and drunk in a car in Port Washington in March pleaded guilty last week in  Ozaukee County Circuit Court to reduced charges.

Those pleas were accepted by Judge Adam Gerol, who found Margo L. Prentice Kielty of Port Washington guilty of resisting an officer and two counts of battery, all misdemeanors, during a Thursday, July 24, hearing.

She was initially charged with felony counts of battery to a law enforcement officer and attempted battery to an officer, as well as misdemeanor charges of resisting an officer and disorderly conduct, but those charges were amended by prosecutors as part of a plea agreement.

Gerol sentenced Prentice Kielty to six months in jail but stayed the sentence and placed her on probation for 18 months. She will not have to serve the stayed jail sentence if she complies with the conditions of her probation.

The case against Prentice Kielty dates to Sunday, March 2, when at 2:16 a.m. police officers were called to the 1000 block of Westport Drive for a report of a woman who was yelling and found Prentice Kielty barely clothed and lying on her stomach in a red car. 

She was disoriented but able to open the car door and speak with officers. When asked for her last name, however, Prentice Kielty began swearing at the officers and called officer Kirstin Larson a “dumb (expletive) bitch,” according to a criminal complaint.

Larson, who noted the car smelled of alcohol, said she saw several cans, at least one of which was a beer car, in the vehicle.

After Larson prevented her from shutting herself in the car, Prentice Kielty tried to get out of the vehicle but fell over. Larson caught her before she hit the ground.

Prentice Kielty then stood up, said “no” and ran away from officers. The temperature was about 8 degrees and Prentice Kielty was barefoot and wearing a swimsuit-type outfit. Larson and officer Tyler Wroblewski chased and caught Prentice Kielty, who continued to swear at them and kicked Larson in the shin and knee, the complaint states.

The officers spoke with Prentice Kielty’s boyfriend, who said they were at a concert but got kicked out because of her behavior. He said they went back to Port Washington and he was in the process of collecting Prentice Kielty’s belongings so they could go inside when she opened and spilled a beer. He said he went into their apartment to get towels and when he returned to the car Prentice Kielty was with the officers.

A breath test showed Prentice Kielty had an alcohol level of .326, and knowing that the county jail would not accept someone who was so drunk, the officers took her to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, according to the complaint.

At the hospital, Prentice Kielty swore at the medical staff and called them bitches. When doctors were ready to release her, Prentice Kielty refused to sign medical forms, then tried to punch Larson. She missed and fell over a bed rail, kicking Larson in the arm. When Larson attempted to catch Prentice Kielty, she bit the officer in the arm and kicked her in the chest, knocking her body camera off her.

Larson and hospital security personnel were able to hold Prentice Kielty down and Grafton police officers arrived to help. Prentice Kielty continued to scream profanities at officers and medical workers, creating a disturbance in the hospital, while trying to kick and bite officers, the complaint states.

During last week’s hearing, Gerol ordered Prentice Kielty to participate in drug and alcohol, as well as mental health, counseling and treatment deemed appropriate by the Department of Corrections and maintain absolute sobriety while on probation.