Wisconsin regulators file complaint against judge who left court to arrest a hospitalized defendant

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin judicial regulators have filed a misconduct complaint against a Dane County judge who allegedly left court to try to arrest a hospitalized defendant and got into an argument with another defendant. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the state Judicial Commission filed the complaint against Ellen Berz on Thursday. According to the complaint, Berz left court in December 2021 to arrest a defendant who didn’t show up for trial that day because he was in the hospital. The complaint also alleges that Berz warned a defendant in a child sexual assault case in 2019 that she would remember his attempts to delay his trial if he was found guilty. The complaint accuses Berz of violating rules requiring judges to be unbiased and treat people with dignity.