CHIPPEWA COUNTY, WI — The Chippewa County District Attorney's Office has issued a statement declaring that Sheriff Travis Hakes no longer meets the credibility standard necessary to continue serving as the county's sheriff, citing his placement on the county's Brady List in December 2023 and concerns about integrity, honesty, and public trust, according to a press release from the Chippewa County District Attorney's Office.
PRESS RELEASE
The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the County. Therefore, it is the duty of the Sheriff to set the standard for the rest of the law enforcement in the County. Law enforcement officers are bound by a code of ethics that emphasize integrity, impartiality, respect for constitutional rights, and public trust. Officers must avoid bias, corruption, and personal gain, and are expected to intervene in cases of misconduct by colleagues. None of the prosecutors within the Chippewa County District Attorney's Office believes that Sheriff Hakes upholds these valuable standards.
On December 18, 2023, Sheriff Hakes was placed on Chippewa County's Brady List, and advised to avoid actively being involved in any investigations, or handling physical evidence. This decision was jointly made by all of the prosecutors in the District Attorney's Office. A "Brady List" is a record maintained by prosecutors to identify police officers whose past actions such as dishonesty, criminal charges, or integrity violations could undermine their credibility in court.
For the criminal justice system generally, and the District Attorney's Office specifically, to be effective the public must have confidence that the actors within the system are acting with integrity and honesty. It is very important that the District Attorney's Office not risk losing the public's confidence in the criminal justice system.
All of the prosecutors in the District Attorney's Office believe that Sheriff Hakes does not meet the basic credibility standard necessary to continue as the Chippewa County Sheriff.
Signed:
- Wade Newell, District Attorney
- Scott Zehr, Assistant District Attorney
- Sheila Yohnk, Assistant District Attorney
- Sara Matthews, Assistant District Attorney
- Karl Kelz, Assistant District Attorney
- Sawan Talwar, Assistant District
UPDATE: After publication of this article, Sheriff Travis Hakes provided the following response:
It is deeply disingenuous that District Attorney Wade Newell chose to release this attack three years after the county initiated a politically driven investigation against me—and just three weeks before an election. The timing is no coincidence. It is a calculated, last-minute political hit.
I was transparent with voters in the last election, and I will be again. I trust the people of Chippewa County to see through these tactics, recognize them for what they are, and judge the facts for themselves.
Fact - The Brady list is something created by the District Attorney arbitrarily, completely on his own, and without any legal standards There are no rights to appeal or means to prevent it from being used and abused for political or other improper purposes. Despite the efforts of law enforcement organizations nationwide and in Wisconsin to give officers due process rights against such arbitrary and even capricious name-smearing, officers in Wisconsin have no such protections or rights. All over the United States, law enforcement officers have been tagged with being on a Brady list for political reasons or even out of personal animosity, and sadly, Chippewa County has now been added to the list of places where prosecutors have corrupted the Brady court decision for purely political ends.
Fact - Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell's decision to place me on the Brady List stems from a case I was involved in when I was an officer with the Chetek Police Department. The case involved a woman who was the victim of serious domestic abuse. While talking to the woman, she questioned what would happen to the body camera footage, as she had concerns for her safety. Admittedly, I did a poor job of explaining that footage could be redacted in certain situations to protect the victims involved, as Marsy’s Law had recently been enacted just prior to this incident. The footage that was captured on my body camera was submitted to the district attorney. While I regret my choice of words in the moment, my intentions were solely to reassure and protect the victim in this situation, in compliance with the recent law change. I will never regret advocating for and going the extra mile to protect the victims of domestic violence.
Fact - I discussed this case with District Attorney Newell prior to running for Chippewa County Sheriff, and he indicated that he had no concerns. I continued to work as a law enforcement officer, making arrests and testifying in Chippewa County for multiple years after that incident. It was only after the county launched an investigation against me—without a retainer agreement and at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars— and the county administrator applied pressure on him that he put me on the Brady List.
Fact - What the District Attorney’s media release fails to mention is that their Brady designation concerns stem from redacted statements collected during the county's political investigation against me, not from my actions as Chippewa County Sheriff. To this day, I have never been given due process to challenge those statements. The fact they intentionally chose to leave that out, and the timing of this statement, is proof of
the political and frivolous nature of their media release.
I am calling on District Attorney Wade Newell to release any and all correspondence with county staff related to this matter, including communications with the county administrator, county board chairman, HR director, and my opponent. The public deserves full transparency.
I stand by actions in that case, as my intentions were only to help a victim in her time of need. Furthermore, I stand by my record of accomplishments in my time in office as Chippewa County Sheriff.
-- Per Sheriff Hakes
Last Update: Jul 22, 2026 7:58 pm CDT
