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 (WAQ-WLUK) – The suspect in a double murder made a court appearance Thursday on a charge he physically assaulted a Brown County jail correctional officer.
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.
On Oct. 12, Sotka allegedly attacked a correctional officer after a search of his cell turned up several contraband items.
In court Thursday, the court commissioner noted that while Sotka is eligible for a public defender, no attorney has been found to handle his assault case. Another hearing was scheduled for Jan. 30 to check the status of the case.
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.
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.
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