COLUMBIA COUNTY, Wis. — Court records show Madison police officer Cary House was arrested and charged with felony strangulation and misdemeanor battery earlier this month, with modifiers of domestic abuse.
On November 7, court records say Columbia County sheriff deputies responded to a home in Columbia County for a domestic incident. The woman who lived there said House had been drinking all day when he entered her room where she was lying in bed with her young daughter; House started yelling at her and choking her.
The woman fought back to free herself, and said her daughter became frantic and started crying. The woman told police it became difficult for her to breathe and was painful; officers said the women had a red abrasion on the side of her neck.
House told the deputies that he had drunk a 12-pack of alcohol throughout the day, and said he had a “physical altercation” in the bed with the woman.
Court records show House was released the next day on a $2,000 signature bond, with requirements of no contact with his victim or consumption of alcohol.
Officer House suspended in 2013
This isn’t the first time Officer House has had trouble with the law. In 2013, News 3 Now reported that he was suspended without pay after a shots fired investigation in Columbia County.
Sheriff deputies who were called to the scene found Cary had fired a gun while under the influence during a social gathering at his home. Investigators said at the time that no one had been in danger and the gun was fired toward an unpopulated area from the backyard.
A charge of intoxicated use of a firearm was later dismissed and he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct that year, court records at the time showed. MPD suspended him at the time for 30 days without pay for violating department policies related to the use of city-owned property, unlawful conduct and firearm safety.
Other recent police officer arrests
In a statement, a Madison police spokesperson acknowledged that three MPD police officers have been arrested within the last two weeks in separate, unrelated incidents.
All of the incidents occurred while the officers were off duty, and MPD is not the investigating agency for any of the arrests. Spokesperson Hunter Lisko declined to identify any of the officers, directing News 3 Now to the various investigating agencies, which he also did not name.
News 3 Now has independently verified Cary House as an MPD officer through a review of old and current court records.
MPD also didn’t comment on whether any of the officers are facing disciplinary measures or administrative leave while investigations are pending.
MPD policies and discipline
Standard operating procedure for the Madison Police Department includes criminal conduct as a “Category D” offense, the second-most severe category of offense. Sanctions for that category include suspension without pay for five to fifteen days.
Except for repeated violations of Category D offenses, only the most severe category lists termination as a possible sanction. That category includes offenses of lying, making false reports, not cooperating with police investigations, and the use of deadly force when a lesser use of force is appropriate.
Wisconsin police officers cannot have felony convictions or misdemeanor domestic violence convictions; Madison police officer requirements automatically disqualify domestic abuse convictions or unpardoned felony convictions.
Investigative reporter Naomi Kowles can be reached at nkowles@wisctv.com
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