The Racine County Sheriff is calling out a public defender named Cole Covey after the sheriff says a respected deputy was exonerated following false accusations made against him by Covey. Body cam video, in part, helped exonerate the deputy, says Sheriff Chris Schmaling.
“Yesterday, Public Defender Cole Covey admitted that he falsely accused an experienced and well-respected deputy of physically abusing a jail inmate when Covey pled guilty to obstructing an officer in Racine County case number 26CM1671,” the sheriff said. “The charge was reduced from a misdemeanor to an ordinance violation. Covey was ordered to pay the maximum $1,000 fine plus costs and to self-report his untruthfulness to the Wisconsin State Bar’s Office of Lawyer Regulation.” (Racine County DA Patricia Hanson obtained a special prosecutor in the case and was not involved in it.)
Court records show that Covey pleaded guilty to interfering with/obstructing an officer, which is not a criminal offense. He was initially charged with a misdemeanor crime. Diane M. Donohoo is listed as the prosecuting attorney. “State moves to dismiss the criminal charge of Obstructing/Resisting Officer and reissue to Obstructing Officer Ordinance 11-8,” the court records say. He was ordered to report the incident to the Office of Lawyer Regulation within 30 days and to pay a $1,000 fine. At one point, court records say there was a motion to seal and redact the court records.
All of Covey’s allegations “of abuse and misconduct were proven to be false, as demonstrated by the deputy’s Body-Worn Camera video, witness statements (including the inmate), and lack of physical evidence,” Racine County Sheriff Chris Schmaling said in the statement. “Had the allegations been substantiated, the deputy could have faced termination and criminal charges. The deputy also faced the potential for significant damage to his professional reputation, particularly as he was nearing the end of a distinguished thirty-year career in law enforcement.”
We reached out to the state public defender’s office to confirm whether Covey is still employed there and to ask why that is appropriate; a source alleged to us that he still works as a public defender in Racine. We will add the response if it is received.
“Mr. Covey made serious and false accusations against a deputy, calling what he claimed to have witnessed the ‘most flagrant misconduct’ he had ever seen and a ‘disgusting abuse of power,'” said Schmaling. “His words were not mistakes, they were intentional false allegations that put a deputy’s thirty-year career and reputation at risk – and could have resulted in a criminal conviction and jail time.”
“Mr. Covey has now admitted in court that he was untruthful and guilty of obstructing. I encourage the Officer of Lawyer Regulation to treat this breach in ethics with the seriousness it deserves,” the sheriff added. “If a law enforcement officer would have made these types of false statements, they would be placed on a Brady list and their career would essentially be over. Our deputies are held accountable when they do wrong, but attorney’s and everyone else must also be held accountable if they knowingly make false allegations. I commend this deputy for his professionalism and wish him a long and happy retirement.”
What Happened in the Incident Involving Cole Covey?
“The incident that led to Covey’s charge occurred on the morning of March 26, 2026, after Covey and his client, who was an inmate, had court hearings on her two criminal cases,” Sheriff Chris Schmaling wrote. “The deputy and his partner allowed Covey additional time to speak with his client in a back hallway before the deputies escorted her back to the Racine County Jail.”
Maintained the sheriff: “When the inmate began wandering down an adjacent hallway away from Covey and toward the judge’s chambers, the deputy intervened and informed Covey and the inmate that their meeting was over. The deputy began directing the inmate down the proper hallway toward an elevator and informed Covey that he wanted to leave. Covey purposefully repositioned himself in the deputy’s path and stated, “I don’t care what you want to do.”
The deputy “pushed past Covey and escorted the inmate toward the elevator while Covey followed behind,” added Schmaling. “Approximately one hour later, Covey sent an email to the deputy’s supervisor falsely alleging that the deputy had shoved the inmate into a wall twice.”
According to the sheriff, Covey wrote: “My client was shackled and braced herself against the shoves so both times she was pushed to the point of striking her face against the wall. This was the most flagrant misconduct I have ever personally observed from a CO.”
Covey further stated that he had reported the incident to his supervisors and wrote: “They will determine how to proceed forward with this personally observed abuse of an inmate and misconduct committed by [the deputy].”
“Covey concluded his letter by offering to provide additional information if needed to ‘address this disgusting abuse of power’ that he claimed to have witnessed,” Schmaling added. “Covey’s allegations were forwarded to the Sheriff’s Professional Standards Unit which conducted a thorough investigation, including an interview with Covey. Despite being shown the Body Worn Camera video numerous times, Covey stood by his false allegations by stating that was what he ‘believed’ and ‘thought’ happened.”
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