$50,000 cash bond set on Bangstad supporter accused of making threats

Oneida County circuit judge Mary Sowinski imposed this week a $50,000 cash bond on a Michigan man who has been arrested and jailed in Oneida County for allegedly threatening Oneida County circuit judge Michael Schiek and Gregg Walker, publisher of both The Lakeland Times and The Northwoods River News.

Peter Gruich of Clinton Township, Mich., was in custody in Oneida County on charges of threatening injury or harm via computer message, a misdemeanor, and of making a threat to a judge, a felony, state of Wisconsin court records show.

Both Schiek and Walker were the recipients of a threatening message, the sheriff’s department reported in an officer’s supplemental report by detective sergeant Gary Loduha on Nov. 2.

In an initial appearance on Dec. 16, Gruich told the court he had contacted the public defender’s office but did not know if he qualified for representation, online court records show. An adjourned initial appearance was scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 19, with Sowinski presiding.

In addition to the cash bond — which had to be posted before Gruich could be released — the judge ordered Gruich not to use or access any device with access to the Internet and to have no contact with the victims.

The incidents began on Oct. 17, when Walker received a threatening email and reported it to the sheriff’s office. In his report, Loduha wrote that he obtained the email, which originated from a person identifying as Pete Smith; however, the email address was that of [email protected]. 

The email author sent the email to Walker at 6:17 in the morning, with the subject header reading: “You need to be silenced, as—-e.”

The content of the message read: “Hey punk, it would be a shame if your ‘newspaper’ burned down or if your local pigs stated [sic] getting killed, wouldn’t it? You and your police chief need a big lawsuit you f—-g punk. F—k you, Pete Gruich Nazi Killer.”

According to Loduha’s report, another string of emails was received by Tracy Hartman of the Oneida County Clerk’s Office. That email was originally sent by the email address of [email protected] on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 3:56 a.m. to the clerk’s office, Loduha wrote, with the subject header reading: “I am thinking of financing a lawsuit against your Nazi judge and cops that need yo [sic] be killed.” 

The report quotes the message of the email: “Hey a—le, I like suing corrupt p—-y judges and cops that need to be killed. Does that bother you or those f——g a—-les that you work for? F—k you, Pete Gruich Nazi Killer.”

In his report, Loduha wrote that he found it interesting that, in the email sent to the county, the sender identified again as “Pete Gruich Nazi Killer,” just as in the email sent to Walker, leading Loduha to believe the email was sent by the same individual who had emailed Walker.

That person the sheriff’s office identified as Peter Thomas Gruich with a date of birth of Sept. 14, 1954, the report states.

In both instances, Loduha found what he described as a “direct correlation” to events involving Kirk Bangstad.

For instance, in an interview with Walker, Walker was asked by Loduha if there had been any recent social media posts that made reference to Walker and/or Walker’s business being fascists, and Loduha said Walker replied that the only person who came to mind was ‘Bangstad,’ who Loduha said was known to detectives to be fully identified as Kirk Cushing Bangstad.

“Walker went on to state that Bangstad was constantly making social media posts in regard to Walker, The Lakeland Times, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and other local law enforcement agencies being fascists,” the report stated. “Walker further advised that Walker did not typically receive emails such as the aforementioned email unless Bangstad was making posts about Walker and/or the Lakeland Times.”

In addition, Walker received the Oct. 17 email just two days after Bangstad was arrested for criminal defamation, the report observed, and on the same day of his arrest “Bangstad made a post via the Minocqua Brewing Company Facebook page regarding Bangstad’s arrest to include videos of the traffic stop and photographs of Bangstad in handcuffs.”

More posts were made the next day, on Oct. 16.

“Additional posts were made by the Minocqua Brewing Company Facebook page regarding Bangstad’s arrest and how to support Bangstad,” the report stated.

The same correlation was made with the email sent to the Oneida County clerk’s office on Oct. 22, the detective reported.

Specifically, on Oct. 20, Loduha wrote, additional posts were made by the Minocqua Brewing Company Facebook page regarding Bangstad’s arrest and on Oct. 21 Bangstad posted Bangstad’s initial appearance in reference to the defamation case.

Also on Oct. 21, Loduha wrote, posts were made by the Minocqua Brewing Company Facebook page regarding the defamation case to include the image of Bangstad s arrest, as well as a reference to Schiek, who is presiding over the criminal defamation case.

“Posts were made by the Minocqua Brewing Company Facebook page regarding the defamation case to include the image that Bangstad had been arrested in relation to as well as additional text around said image including view points on what Honorable Oneida County judge Michael Schiek should do,” the report stated. “One particular post of interest read, ‘I refuse to be silenced because of satire and I dare the judge to hold me in contempt for this post.’. .. The post then referenced Supreme Court Case Hustler vs Falwell as well as referenced how Bangstad was refusing to have a ‘backwoods judge’ silence Bangstad.”

Loduha said he concluded that the emails sent to Walker and the county were linked to Bangstad’s posts and arrest.

“After reviewing the timeline with regard to Bangstad’s Facebook posts, Bangstad’s recent arrest, the email sent to Walker, and the email sent to the Oneida County clerk of courts office, it was difficult not to make a connection between the listed events,” he wrote.

The criminal defamation charge against Bangstad includes two counts of criminal defamation in which Bangstad published on Facebook a post that included false and manipulated images of Lakeland Times publisher Gregg Walker and Times general manager Heather Holmes in a pornographic rendering.

Bangstad also recently settled the largest defamation case in Wisconsin history by agreeing to a payout of more than half-million dollars in a case in which a jury of nine women and four men found that Bangstad had defamed Walker with express malice.

History of alleged accusations

At one point in his investigation, Loduha made contact with the Sterling Heights Police Department in Michigan. That department informed Loduha that Gruich was no longer living in that jurisdiction and directed Loduha to an address in Clinton township, but the Sterling Heights police also divulged that Gruich had come up on their radar previously for making alleged violent threats.

“[I]t appeared Sterling Heights Police Department had been contacted by an outside agency (unknown agency) in 2012 with regard to threats that Gruich was making in correlation to the 2012 elections,” the report stated. “Loduha was advised that Gruich was reportedly making threats regarding shooting Republicans at polling stations during the 2012 elections; however, the outcome of that investigation was unknown.”

Loduha contacted the Clinton township and found that Gruich was still residing there, the detective wrote.

“Loduha contacted the Clinton Township Police Department who advised Loduha that their agency had various contacts with Gruich in 2018 as well as 2019, but Gruich was not listed as a suspect during those contacts,” the report states.

Richard Moore is the author of “Dark State” and may be reached at richardd3d.substack.com.