PRICE COUNTY – A Harshaw man is facing felony misconduct in office charges in Price County related to allegations he had multiple sexual encounters with a woman described in court records as a “known methamphetamine user” while on duty as a part-time City of Phillips police officer.
According to the criminal complaint, filed on Oct. 3, Connor R. Newman, 32, is also accused of knowingly falsifying work records (daily activity reports detailing his location while on duty) in what investigators characterized as an apparent attempt to conceal his activities.
The complaint also alleges Newman shared sensitive information related to drug investigations with the woman who then passed the information on to others.
Newman is facing a total of three felony counts – misconduct in office (act/excess authority), misconduct in office (act/inconsistent duty) and misconduct in office (fraud/record/statement).
Each of the Class I felonies carries a maximum sentence of more than 3 ½ years in prison.
According to online court records, Newman made his initial appearance in Price County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at which time Judge Mark T. Fuhr set a $1,000.00 signature bond and scheduled a pretrial conference for Monday, Nov. 24.
According to his LinkedIn biography, Newman attended the Nicolet College Law Enforcement Academy and worked as a dispatcher and a deputy for the Oneida County Sheriff’s Department before taking the job in Phillips. The complaint corroborates Newman’s work history in Oneida County and also mentions the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department as a former employer.
In an interview with investigators summarized in the complaint, Newman admitted to having multiple sexual encounters with the woman during the months of July and August, while he was on duty, and indicated he expected to be fired from his part-time police position.
When asked if anything of this nature took place during his prior employment, he answered no.
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