MADISON, Wis. — Madison restaurant owner Patrick Sweeney is being charged with a felony count of stalking and two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct after being accused of threatening and monitoring a woman.
According to a criminal complaint filed Friday in Dane County Court, an officer with the Village of Oregon Police Department was called by someone who wanted to report an ongoing domestic issue involving Sweeney.
Police suggest Sweeney has been monitoring the victim for weeks. Police searched her car and found a GPS tracker on it. The victim also told police Sweeney recorded video of her leaving a date with another man and confronting her with it, and threatened to shoot someone she was dating in the head.
The victim also reported getting abusive text messages from Sweeney, calling her derogatory names, and multiple incidents in which he tried to forcefully take her phone when he thought she was texting another man.
According to court documents, when an officer read Sweeney his charges, he responded by saying “Oh, that’s it? Not bad. Thought it would be worse.”
Sweeney co-owns Merchant and Lucille in downtown Madison, as well as Brother’s Three on the city’s east side. Court records show he was released on a $500 signature bond after his initial court appearance on Friday, with conditions that he has no contact with the victim.
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.