A difference of opinion on time to be served and an absent assistant district attorney delayed the plea and sentencing for Tracy Bahr, who currently has 100 charges levied against him in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court.
Bahr was expected to give a guilty plea Aug. 8, but the specifics of the deal came at the 11th hour, and there was a disagreement for the length of the prison sentence, according to defense attorney Christopher Froehlich. It normally could be resolved between the two sides, but Assistant District Attorney Brent Debord was present on behalf of Laura Nelson, the ADA in charge of the case, and he told the court he was not comfortable making concessions on her behalf.
Bahr appeared remotely, explaining that he’s currently receiving chemotherapy for bone cancer. He indicated he will be appearing remotely for the next plea and sentencing hearing, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in Branch II of the Shawano County Courthouse.
Shawano-Menominee Circuit Court Judge William Kussel Jr. said he understands the situation but indicated he wants to see some forward momentum on a case that’s been in the system for three years and has been subjected to many delays.
In the latest case, Bahr is facing one count of failure to comply with an officer’s attempt to take a person into custody, nine counts of possessing a a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of methamphetamine, one count of possession of THC greater than 1,000 grams with intent, 22 felony counts of bail jumping, one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer, three misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and seven misdemeanor counts of bail jumping.
According to the criminal complaint, on Aug. 4, 2022, at 7:35 a.m., a Shawano County sheriff’s deputy responded to a complaint in the Town of Angelica, where Bahr was allegedly contacted by another deputy, as he was allegedly washing a piece of equipment in the driveway. Eight minutes later, Bahr allegedly fled from the residence on a three-wheeled ATV. While searching, another deputy allegedly found one firearm in a vehicle at the residence.
When law enforcement asked residents if they have seen Bahr, one neighbor allegedly said that they saw Bahr leaving a field edge on County Road S with a shotgun across his lap, according to the complaint.
Before noon that day, Bahr’s mother was leaving to the residence where Bahr was spotted. She allegedly told law enforcement, according to the complaint, that Bahr told her he planned to commit suicide, or was going to “shoot it out with the cops.” She then allegedly gave law enforcement two spots where Bahr could be.
On Aug. 7, Bahr was located and brought into custody at Motel 6 in Green Bay. When searching Bahr’s residence, deputies found seven firearms, one box of meth smoking drug paraphernalia with two digital scales, THC drug paraphernalia, 667.8 grams of THC, four Mason jars with green, leafy substances, a plastic gallon-sized bag with a green, leafy substance, aluminum foil with several cut straws and six shotgun shells that were on a sling.
According to Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Bahr has six other open cases in Shawano County, with the first coming from October 2020. The first case is a misdemeanor disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse repeater.
Things accelerated from there when, in December 2021, Bahr was charged with intimidating a victim with the threat of force with a domestic abuse repeater, along with another disorderly conduct charge and two bail jumping charges. A second case in that year involves another charge of intimidation, as well as battery and disorderly conduct charges and four more bail jumping charges. Another disorderly conduct charge and two more bail jumping charges are included in a third case.
In January 2022, Bahr was charged with nine counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety, three counts of resisting an officer, three counts of hit and run, and 12 counts of bail jumping. In February 2022, Bahr was charged with theft of movable property, criminal damage to property, six counts of felony bail jumping and five counts of misdemeanor bail jumping.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
