Bond set for Racine man accused of stalking Wisconsin’s chief justice

A Racine man was arraigned this week after prosecutors say he repeatedly threatened Wisconsin Chief Justice Jill Karofsky.

Ryan Thornton, 37, faces one felony count of stalking.

According to prosecutors, Thornton began emailing Karofsky in August after Wisconsin’s Office of Lawyer Regulation rejected his complaint against an attorney who had represented Thornton in a separate domestic abuse case.

A Racine County jury found Thornton guilty of strangulation and disorderly conduct in that case in 2019.

In a series of nine emails to Karofsky, Thornton told the justice to “eject” herself from office, complained about “manipulative humans” and asked for Karofsky’s home address, according to the complaint.

The complaint also says Thornton repeatedly emailed the Office of Lawyer Regulation. Members of that office told investigators that Thornton made more than 70 phone calls to the OLR in recent months, in which he complained about Karofsky and made threats against office staff.

While he was being questioned by Capitol Police, the complaint says Thornton accused an officer of being part of “Jill Karofsky’s crew.” Later, while Thornton was being booked into the Dane County Jail, the complaint says he referred to Karofsky using sexist slurs and said she was “going down.”

Thornton also complained to police about a “conspiracy.” His emails and social media posts indicated he believed he was being watched by helicopters, police told prosecutors.

Thornton ordered to say away from Dane County

Judge Payal Khandhar set Thornton’s bond at $85,000 on Monday after Thornton appeared via video in Dane County Circuit Court. The judge ordered Thornton to cease any contact — whether direct or indirect — with Karofsky or with the director of Wisconsin’s Office of Lawyer Regulation.

Khandhar also told Thornton to stay away from Dane County unless he needs to be there for court appearances or meetings with his attorney.

Karofsky told police she had received numerous threats since becoming a judge in 2017, but that the persistence of Thornton’s behavior rose to a level that made her fearful of answering the door to get her mail. Because of that fear, she said she recently asked police to escort her to her seats at a Brewers and a Badgers game.

A former Dane County judge, Karofsky was elected to a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2020. Her fellow justices chose her to lead the court as chief justice earlier this year.

Thornton’s case is set for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 28. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.