May 1, 2023 at 12:11 p.m.
Former officer sentenced to 90 days
Stetson O. Grant, 36, was also sentenced to three years probation on a felony stalking conviction related to behavior directed toward his then spouse on the same occasion.
An Oneida County jury convicted Grant of stalking and disorderly conduct on Feb. 24 following a five-day trial that featured numerous recordings of Grant verbally abusing the woman and repeatedly refusing her requests to leave her alone.
In the criminal complaint, Grant was accused of calling the woman as many as 50 to 150 times a day and entering her home on multiple occasions after he had been asked to leave.
The complaint also alleged the former sergeant made statements such as "I am the law" and "OK, I am the (expletive) cops" when the
woman would threaten to call law enforcement.
In her victim impact statement, the woman described "walking on eggshells" constantly worrying about angering her partner. Eventually, she said she realized she was in an "emotionally abusive relationship with a narcissist" and knew she had to leave for her sake and that of her child.
Grant, she said, employed "fear, manipulation, gaslighting, hypercriticism, jealousy, intimidation and control" and told her she should "suck it up" and " be thankful it wasn't worse" because others were being physically abused.
She asked the court to impose a sentence of 18 months confinement.
In his sentencing argument, special prosecutor Karl Kelz of Price County noted that Grant was in uniform with his duty weapon - and being paid by Oneida County taxpayers - on some of the occasions referenced during the trial.
He argued that Grant was so out of control he couldn't comport himself during working hours. Not only did he abuse his former spouse, he betrayed the community he was supposed to be protecting, the prosecutor said.
"The public expected the defendant to do his job not commit crimes while in uniform and armed," Kelz said, calling Grant a "textbook domestic abuser" with a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality.
"This is a person used to getting his way," he added.
Kelz stated that he is skeptical that Grant has received the treatment he needs for "power and control issues" and argued a jail sentence is necessary so that he will come to recognize the severity and impact of his behavior.
He recommended 10 to 12 months confinement along with a psychological assessment and letter of apology to the victim.
For his part, defense counsel Aaron Nelson noted the jury acquitted Grant on a number of charges and the state dismissed its misconduct in public office claims (related to Grant's being on duty during the abusive interactions) before the trial started. He accused Kelz of "dehumanizing" Grant and noted that the former officer fully understands the wrongfulness of his behavior.
He has been in counseling since March 2021, before the charges were filed, and is "striving to fix himself, striving to be a better man," his attorney said.
Grant, he said, is on a new path, poses no danger to the community and jail time is simply not warranted.
"To stand here and to say the only way that he's going to understand the seriousness of this is by putting him in jail, frankly I think that's ridiculous," Nelson argued.
Given his chance to speak, Grant said he realizes how he handled the end of his relationship with the woman was "wrong and unacceptable."
"I regret the words I used and I'm sorry for the pain that I caused," he said, adding that he was embarrassed to hear his words when the recordings were played during the trial. "I'm thankful that I got the help that I needed and I've got my life going in the right direction."
Before pronouncing sentence, Oneida County circuit judge Mike Bloom stated that the audio recordings played during the trial were nothing short of "awful".
"I hear and see a lot of awful things in this room and I don't know if I've ever had a more unpleasant experience as during the portions of the trial where all of us and the jury were listening to those recordings," he said, adding that the woman's descriptions of being "tormented and harassed were very easy to believe."
He noted the defense arguments, as well as Grant's lack of a criminal record, but ultimately determined that this is a case where the defendant "cannot not go to jail."
"When crimes are committed the public expects courts to do something about it," he explained.
He then ordered a 90-day sentence, with Huber privileges on the disorderly conduct count. On the felony stalking count, he withheld sentence and ordered three years probation.
Nelson asked the court to temporarily stay the jail sentence to give Grant some time to prepare for incarceration, however the request was denied on the grounds that Grant was not immediately remanded after the trial and thus has had time to prepare for potential sentencing outcomes.
Grant's employment with Oneida County ended in August of 2021. He no longer works in law enforcement.
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