SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Shawano County campground owner was charged with eluding an officer after a police chase, and resisting an officer for claiming she was a “sovereign citizen” and didn’t have to get out of her vehicle.
Ann Retzlaff, 52, was released on a signature bond after an initial court appearance earlier this month on four counts, including two of second-degree recklessly endangering safety. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 13, court records show.
According to the criminal complaint (CAUTION: Includes language some may find offensive), police tried to pull Retzlaff over for failure to stop at a traffic light on May 15, but she did not pull over.
Eventually, traffic stop spikes were deployed, flattening her tires, and the vehicle stopped. An officer advised her to get out of the vehicle.
“She stated she did not do anything wrong, and she was being wrongfully stopped. She stated she is a sovereign citizen and will not step out of the vehicle,” the complaint states.
A deputy tried to pry a vehicle door open, when Retzlaff put the vehicle in gear to drive away. Two deputies had to move out of the way to avoid being hit by the vehicle, it states.
The vehicle was stopped a second time. A deputy “broke the driver window with his baton. The door was then opened, and Ann was taken from the vehicle and escorted to the ground. She was secured in handcuffs,” the complaint states.
Retzlaff told police she was rescuing an employee from sex traffickers, which is why she didn’t stop for police, and maintained she didn’t do anything wrong.
Retzlaff has been in trouble with the law before. Last year, she was ticketed for unlawful use of a telephone for posing as a Shawano County sheriff’s deputy. Her campground also came under fire last year for ignoring protocols to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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