Richard Sotka appears in Brown County court May 1, 2023, on charges he killed Rhonda Cegelski and Paula O'Connor in January in Green Bay. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Although Richard Sotka has been sentenced to consecutive life terms for killing Rhonda Cegelski and Paula O’Connor, prosecutors are moving forward with charges against him for allegedly assaulting a jail correctional worker.
Sotka was sentenced to the back-to-back life terms last week.
On Wednesday, he waived a preliminary hearing on a battery by prisoners count. His arraignment is June 25, according to his attorney.
If convicted, another six years in the prison system could be added on to his sentence.
The incident happened Oct. 12. The complaint quotes the correctional officer saying:
“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,” according to the complaint.
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.
Comments