Richard Sotka appears in Brown County court, August 21, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A man charged with killing two women in Green Bay is now accused of physically assaulting a Brown County Correctional Officer.
Richard Sotka, 49, has been charged with battery by a prisoner for the incident that happened at the jail on Oct. 12.
According to the criminal complaint, Sotka was upset with a correctional officer after a search of his cell turned up several contraband items.
The complaint quotes the correctional officer:
Sotka screamed something, and that is when Sotka struck me for the first time with a fist. His fist hit me on my left ear. The strike hurt my ear and I saw stars. I yelled, “what are you doing?” I heard Officer AG call for backup on the radio. Sotka continued to strike me over and over again with his fist and we moved back. It felt like all the strikes were on my head. I did not give Sotka permission to strike me, cause me pain, or cause me harm in any way. At one point I went into a defensive position as he kept hitting me. I finally was able to extend my arms and stop his strikes from hitting me. Officer AG arrived, and I felt Sotka’s level of tension drop.
Jail staff immediately responded and were able to subdue Sotka and get him restrained.
The officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment and was released later that same morning.
An investigation into the matter was conducted which included interviewing the victim and other witnesses, inmate correspondence, a review of available video, photos of the victim’s injuries as well are a review of the medical records related to the diagnosis and treatment of the victim’s injuries.
Sotka made an initial court appearance Thursday. A $20,000 cash bond was set. He returns to court Dec. 14 for a balance of initial appearance.
The bond amount may be a moot point, as Sotka has been unable to post the $2 million bond in the double homicide case. The trial in that case is set for March 5.
Sotka is being held at the Brown County Jail as he awaits his March 5, 2024 trial in the fatal stabbing of Rhonda Cegelski, 58, of Green Bay, and Paula O’Connor, 53, of Bellevue.
Their bodies were discovered Jan. 29 at a duplex on Elkay Lane.
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