RACINE, Wis. —
A Racine County public defender has admitted in court to making up accusations that a sheriff's deputy shoved his client into a wall, with body camera footage showing the claims were false.
The incident occurred in March 2025 inside the Racine County Courthouse, where 28-year-old public defender Cole Covey argued with a sheriff's deputy after his client walked toward the judge's chambers. The deputy’s body camera captured the exchange, including the deputy saying, "You got to handle your business with your client, come on, let's go." The remaining eight and a half minutes of footage showed the deputy escorting Covey's client back to jail without incident.
An hour later, sheriff's deputies said Covey sent a letter to the deputy’s supervisor accusing the deputy of shoving his client into a wall twice. Covey wrote, "This was the most flagrant misconduct I have ever personally observed from a co."
Racine County Lt. Michael Luell investigated the accusation and reviewed the body camera footage.
"The body-worn camera did not support his accusation, and in fact, it showed the exact opposite," Luell said.
A special prosecutor charged Covey with obstructing an officer, and on Thursday, Covey pleaded guilty in court in a plea agreement. Law enforcement officers lined the gallery in support of the deputy who had been accused.
"We hold our deputies to the highest of standards," Luell said. "On the other hand, we are not going to allow the public to make false...
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