By Kim McDarison
While the Waukesha District Attorney’s office has stated it will not be bringing criminal charges against Whitewater Police Chief Aaron Raap, the City of Whitewater has announced that an ongoing internal investigation remains in place.
Regarding an arrest made by the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department of Raap in November, Waukesha District Attorney Susan Opper, responding to questions Thursday by phone, said: “I’ve declined prosecution.”
There was a referral for charges, but after review, she said, she “did not find sufficient evidence that there was an intention to inflict bodily harm.”
Any further investigations, she said, “do not involve me whatsoever.”
Raap remains on paid administrative leave.
In a press release issued on Dec. 3, Whitewater city officials announced that Raap had been placed on leave pending an internal investigation, which, the release noted, “will be conducted by an outside agency based on an incident that occurred outside the city of Whitewater. The leave is not considered punitive, rather part of the Whitewater Police Department policy.
“Because this is an ongoing investigation, no additional information will be released at this time.”
Whitewater City Manager Cameron Clapper did not respond to Fort Atkinson Online’s questions about Raap’s status asked Thursday by phone.
In an updated press release issued Thursday, city officials noted that they had “received a number of media inquiries regarding the status of the investigation of Aaron Raap.”
The release continued: “The procedure is part of a broader effort to maintain the integrity of the organization as a whole, not a criminal investigation. As a result, the internal investigation runs independent from any decisions made by other agencies including Waukesha County’s District Attorney’s Office and will be completed as soon as possible.”
Raap was arrested at his home in Waukesha County on Thanksgiving day.
This story will be updated as more information is made available.
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