Woman faces prison time after threatening judge

Talk about it

Julie Grych, 35, Plover, faces up to 18 years in prison after being convicted of threatening to burn down a judge’s house if he didn’t change his ruling in a child custody case.

She is scheduled to appear June 8 for threatening a judge, threatening injury, and unlawful use of a telephone. Prosecutors said Grych left a phone message last September, threatening to burn down Circuit Judge Fred Fleischauer’s home if he didn’t return her children to her custody.

Grych’s lawyer, Michael Hughes, said it could not be proven that his client left the message. But a friend of hers testified that she saw and heard Grych leave the message. Six witnesses testified it was Grych’s voice, but Hughes said none was a voice recognition expert.

Hughes questioned whether it was an actual threat, or if Grych was just venting. Fleischauer, who’s been a judge for over three decades, said he believed it was a serious threat.

A few years ago, Grych was convicted of burning down her parole officer’s house – and she also previously threatened Stevens Point Mayor Andrew Halverson.

Tags: crime, courts, government, wisconsin