West Bend, WI – Douglas Carter of West Bend, Wi, who held a SWAT team at bay in June 2023, is set to be released in early December 2024. Carter was arrested on one felony and five other misdemeanor charges tied to threatening neighbors, obstructing police, weapons charges, and disorderly conduct. Now, a year later it appears the charges are being dismissed, and Carter is to be released. He is scheduled to appear in court December 3, 2024, as his release date draws near.
Neighbors have already filed harassment restraining orders against Carter in Washington County Circuit Court. The court did grant a harassment injunction effective until 11-11-2028.
Other neighbors have tried to be proactive, writing letters to the Washington County Sheriff, D.A. Mark Bensen and Judge James Muehlbauer.
A copy of a letter they will receive today is posted below. The name of the person who wrote the letter will remain confidential in an effort to protect children in the family.
November 23, 2024
The Honorable James K. Muelbauer
Washington County Justice Center
484 Rolfs Avenue, Room 3151
West Bend, WI 53090
District Attorney Mark Bensen
Washington County Justice Center
484 Rolfs Avenue
West Bend, WI 53095
County Sheriff Martin R. Schulteis
Washington County Sheriff’s Office
500 Rolfs Avenue
West Bend, WI 53095
RE: Douglas Carter Case, Case No. 2023CF000273
Dear Judge Muelbauer, District Attorney Bensen, and Sheriff Schulteis,
My family moved to this neighborhood just over three years ago because we were drawn to the family-friendly atmosphere; the kind you get nostalgic about where kids are outside playing with each other and neighbors look out for one another. The sense of safety was so great that we felt comfortable letting our children walk on their own to Maplewynde Park, which was not something we would have done where we lived before. That was until we witnessed the SWAT incident responding to the crisis at Mr. Carter’s residence on June 22, 2023.
On June 22, 2023, my children witnessed a tactical team spillingover to our street from the perimeter surrounding Mr. Carter’s residence; dozens of officers with shields, long guns out and drawn, and a Bearcat across the street from the park they frequently play. We stayed away from the windows in fear of a stray bullet making its way inside. We tried to comfort our kids and reassure them they are safe in this neighborhood, but the distinct memory of the pops and booms resulting from the force needed to extract Mr. Carter from his home is not easily forgotten. How does a parent believe their own words when they tell their children that we live in a safe place when the justice system appears to be failing us all, including Mr. Carter, when deciding to release this person back to that home without safeguards in place?
Since this incident, I also understand the history of Mr. Carter’s home to include a death resulting in his father’s conviction many years prior at this very same residence. I admit I do not know all the details involved in that case, but speaking from my experience in healthcare for nearly 20 years, I believe it is reasonable to assume this home has the potential to be triggering for many reasons. Additionally, his home has remained boarded up since June 22, 2023. How this home is in any livable condition is beyond me, particularly going into the winter given that all the windows, exterior doors, and garage door remain boarded up. It would be a significant challenge for anyone to return to such conditions and cope appropriately, let alone an individual who has been determined to be without sound mental faculty. This surely sets Mr. Carter up for failure to thrive on his own and ignores any vulnerability to exacerbate underlying mental illness.
As a concerned parent, neighbor, and West Bend resident, releasing this man to his residence without safeguards in place (supervision, medication mandates, firearms and sobriety conditions, etc.) is a danger to every individual in the vicinity, including law enforcement, as evidenced by his pattern of erratic, malicious, and aggressive behavior. Just writing this letter in hopes to protect our neighborhood risks Mr. Carter shifting his attention to any one of us or our children; I cannot imagine how the fear of retribution has impacted the Tatro family, and the other neighbors directly affected by his actions.
Our community trusts law enforcement and the justice system to protect them. We deserve better than having to wait to react to the concerns of this case only after future harm has occurred, especially given the history of such a high-risk individual. Please do not allow this unconstrained threat to return to our neighborhood.
I thank the Court and all parties for their time and consideration of this request.
Calls placed to D.A. Bensen have not been returned. Bensen’s term is up at the end of the year and newly elected D.A. Barry Braatz will start January 6, 2025.
West Bend Police were contacted about the situation. An email below is from Lt. Brian McAndrews.
In reference to your voicemail earlier; The police department is aware of the status of court proceedings involving Douglas Carter. Chief Dehring has had direct discussion with District Attorney Bensen regarding the matter. The primary objective of the police department is to ensure public safety and we will do all that we can within the law to accomplish that mission. At this time the Carter residence does not hold an occupancy permit. Work needs to be completed at the home before the city will reissue an occupancy permit. If determined Mr. Carter is to be released into our community the police department will provide community notification of that fact, will provide dedicated extra attention to where Mr. Carter is living, and will hold him accountable to obey the law. I encourage you to contact District Attorney Bensen if you have questions on legal action the D.A may still be pursuing in this matter.
Lieutenant Brian McAndrews
West Bend, Wi – This is Part 2 of a series regarding the pending release of Douglas Carter of West Bend, Wi. In June 2023, Carter held a SWAT team at bay and was later arrested and faced one felony and five other misdemeanor charges tied to threatening neighbors, obstructing police, weapons charges, and disorderly conduct. Now, a year later it appears the charges are being dismissed and Carter is to be released in December 2024.
Below is a letter Meagan Tatro was prepared to read in court. The letter details the fear her family felt following the threats by Douglas Carter.
WashingtonCountyInsider.com is publishing the letter after Judge Muehlbauer refused to let Tatro read it in court. WARNING: The contents of the letter are graphic and may be disturbing in nature.
Good afternoon,
Thank you for allowing me to speak on behalf of my family- my husband and three young children- ages 9, 7, and 4 and myself. What has transpired over the past year and a half- everything leading up to the incident and the incident itself is unfortunate and scary.
We moved to this, what we thought was a quiet and safe neighborhood to raise and grow a family where we could enjoy our yard- sitting out on the patio watching our children play, grilling out, gardening, etc.
What we didn’t know was that there in that white house was a man- who we are now afraid of- struggling with many things. This man who we left alone, waved to and tried to be friendly with by staying cordial began terrorizing our neighborhood.
All the families who lived around him were being terrorized in some way. Incident after incident the situations would escalate, the events became more aggressive and dangerous.
The incidents became more frequent and severe. He would hang a puppet all around his property- the puppet would be posed in different ways, hanging from nooses, it’s pants down etc to try to intimidate everyone around him- or get a rise out of them.
I remember one night getting ready for bed when we heard loud pounding coming from outside- we didn’t know what it was so we looked outside and there in the middle of his yard, pitch black outside, Doug was hammering in a shepherds hook in the ground where he would hang his puppet from.
His threats began verbal, then turned into physical threats – using garden tools, axes, and the most recent event on that Tuesday night in June, a knife.
We’ve all always been on high alert- the constant flashing of bright lights into my residence- He wanted to scare us and let us know that he was watching us. When I would stand up to close the blinds, so would he.
He would open his blinds up and stand tall and proud with his light on to make it known that he was watching us. This is creepy and disturbing.
He would sit in that back room, where law enforcement extracted him from, and watch us day in and day out. He would move his blinds to leave just a crack to see us at all times- he would watch my 3 young children play on the playground and us hanging out in the back yard. This was always creepy and unsettling.
Mr. Carter’s behavior appears to be motivated for his own entertainment. He seems to enjoy it and he likes to antagonize everyone around him and try to engage them into his behaviors so that he can say he was victimized and give him a reason to act erratic. He would bounce from family to familiy in the neighborhood w/o reason and without being provoked.
Tuesday’s events were scary and the most traumatic experience my family and 3 young children have ever experienced and I hope never will again- although, I am not sure it’ll be the last if he is every allowed to live back at that residence again. I can’t even imagine what life would be like if he is released and allowed back- what would his next move be? I know he has weapons- guns specifically- And I’m sure he wants ‘revenge’ towards us.
He has proven time and time again since his first incident and second, and so forth that he can’t handle being out. He can’t maintain sobriety and has firearms in his possession when he isn’t supposed to and also, he admitted he drove past the residence a few times, but only at night- when he wasn’t supposed to.
That Tuesday night, my kids and the neighbor children were playing peacefully on our play set in the yard around 3:10 when Mr. Carter started calling to them ‘little girls little girls’
They did not engage with him and instead just continued playing. He threated them and yelled to them that he was going to throw them down a river to drown them. When I looked up at him, he was sitting in his house with the glass door open and I noticed that he had a knife stabbed into his fan- this was not even 50 feet from where the kids were playing.
Shortly after that, He started yelling ‘bitch, whore, bitch’ and picked up his fan by the knife that was stabbed in it and slammed it down. I quickly got the kids inside so they weren’t witnessing his erratic and dangerous behavior when he began yelling that he was to slice my man so that him and I could get it on and get busy and so that he can do whatever he wanted to me.
He began to yell at me to pick out my favorite movie scene so that we can get it on and reenact it.
My dad heard this and came out to see if I was okay and then he began to threaten my dad saying he was going to torture him with flames and fire. “And I’m going to torture that Daddy of yours with flames and fire so we can get it on.”
I immediately called the police from inside my house and while on the phone, he took his knife out of the fan and began to throw it and toss it in the air yelling towards my house for us to bring it.
The sexual threats to me and my father kept coming even though we were not outside and we were inside our residence. He continued to put his arms up and motion with his arms to come here and bring it.
Doug then began yelling to other neighbor’s houses telling one of them that he was going to start with her first and picked up the fan and threw it towards her house. At one point, he stabbed the knife into the siding of his house next to the glass patio door.
He was playing music extremely loud and was drinking beer from a can. He kept asking one of the neighbors if he wanted to earn his Purple Heart today.
My family and I spent the following 4+ hours hiding and bunkering down in the house and basement. My kids were terrified and confused. They saw all the law enforcement with large guns drawn staged around my house and property.
The heard the loud bangs from whatever was being launched towards his residence in attempts to get him to comply and surrender. They heard the SWAT truck, and they heard the flash bomb which scared us all. No child should have to see and witness this.
My kids for weeks kept blaming themselves saying that it was their fault for playing on the playset where Doug could see them. My oldest ran to my husband as soon as he got home during all of this, bawling, thanking him for coming home because she was so scared of Doug.
It’s been almost a year to the day and my children have just started to play outside again by themselves. My oldest, went to therapy for many sessions, to help process this situation and was told she had anxiety due to it. She never struggled with anxiety prior to this.
We had to go through exposure therapy by going in the yard and going on the playset for a long time to help her ease her anxieties of the situation. Even though the house has been boarded up for a year and Doug is not there, it is a daily struggle for her. For weeks, my two oldest had nightmares about this situation.
The officers, sheriffs, and all other law enforcement personnel were incredible through all of this. The danger that Mr. Carter put all members of the community in, including himself is just too much. This man is truly a threat to society and himself.
I ask that you think about the negative impact this man has on our community and to think about how much help he truly needs until he can be a safe member our of community.
What is it going to take? What will he do next time? Our community is asking for your help to keep us all safe
Carter is scheduled to be released December 2, 2024.
Below is a previous article regarding the pending release of Douglas Carter.
West Bend, WI – Neighbors on the east side of West Bend in the area of Woodridge Road, Longmeadow, and Maplewynde Road, are scared to death as news starts to travel about the pending release of Douglas Carter. WARNING – the content of this article is graphic and may be disturbing in nature.
It was June 20, 2023, when West Bend Police, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies and the SWAT team took Carter into custody following an extended standoff in the 1700 block of Woodridge Road in West Bend, WI.
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Neighbors like Paul and Meagan Tatro remember it vividly.
“He hollered at my wife, I’m going to slit your husband’s throat and I’m going to rape you you stupid fuckin’ bitch. It was completely unprovoked. He’s just deranged,” said Paul Tatro.
“I’ve followed his case diligently through court and all the charges are being dismissed; no felony convictions, no medications, no firearm restrictions,” he said. “I was told he maxed out his time and it’s just one of those things that falls through the cracks.”
Carter was initially charged with felony failure to comply with officer, and misdemeanor charges including operate firearm while intoxicated, resisting /obstructing an officer, dangerous use of a weapon, disorderly conduct, and a handful of bail jumping charges. He is also facing misdemeanor criminal charges tied to two previous incidents.
Tatro said the scenario just keeps getting worse. “Even the doctor at Winnebago Mental Health Institute said he’s incapable of making decisions himself, so what do they do… release him to a house he can’t live in, no court order for medications, no Chapter 51, and you’re not doing a service to him or the neighbors.
“Other than us getting restraining orders… this system is failing immensely,” he said. “Something bad is going to happen when he is released.”
Carter is scheduled to be released December 2, 2024.
Meagan Tatro is not comfortable with this at all. “We’re thinking about moving because of this,” she said. “My children are afraid of him. It took almost a year for my children to be able to go in the backyard because of this. He threatened them too saying he was going to send them down a river to drown to them.
“I just feel like it’s a failing of the system to keep him safe and us as well. We’re all nervous. He’s threatened all of us.”
West Bend Police were contacted about the situation. An email below is from Lt. Brian McAndrews.
In reference to your voicemail earlier; The police department is aware of the status of court proceedings involving Douglas Carter. Chief Dehring has had direct discussion with District Attorney Bensen regarding the matter. The primary objective of the police department is to ensure public safety and we will do all that we can within the law to accomplish that mission. At this time the Carter residence does not hold an occupancy permit. Work needs to be completed at the home before the city will reissue an occupancy permit. If determined Mr. Carter is to be released into our community the police department will provide community notification of that fact, will provide dedicated extra attention to where Mr. Carter is living, and will hold him accountable to obey the law. I encourage you to contact District Attorney Bensen if you have questions on legal action the D.A may still be pursuing in this matter.
Lieutenant Brian McAndrews
A call was placed to D.A. Mark Bensen on Thursday afternoon. His response will be posted when the call is returned.
The Tatros were asked if the police acknowledgement of the situation helped. “Ultimately, it is hard for us to believe there’s nothing in place in our levels of government to protect people like us in this position, and to protect him from himself. This is all extremely frustrating,” said Meagan Tatro.
Tomorrow, Part 2 of the pending release of Douglas Carter. We will publish Meagan Tatro’s letter to Washington County Judge James Muehlbauer. It was a letter she was not allowed to read in court.
This is a working story and more information will be posted when details are available.
Below are previously published articles about Douglas Carter and a history of the 1990 homicide at the Carter home on Woodridge Road.
December 21, 2023 – West Bend, Wi – Douglas Carter, 56, accused of holding a SWAT team at bay in the 1700 block of Woodridge Road in June 2023, has been found not competent to stand trial and the case has been suspended.
Carter appeared in Judge James K. Muehlbauer’s court this week for a competency hearing.
Since the initial offense, Carter had been released on $30,000 cash bond. However, that bond was revoked, and he was remanded back into custody on 10/23/23.
His bond was then reinstated on November 1, 2023 and he was released.
On December 19, 2023 he was remanded back into custody where he remains now.
Below are previous stories regarding Douglas Carter.
September 21, 2023 – West Bend, WI – Douglas Carter, 56, posted bond in Washington County Court today, even after the amount was raised to $30,000 because the court said he failed to comply with an order to complete a competency exam. It was June 20, 2023, when West Bend Police, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies and the SWAT team took Carter into custody following an extended standoff in the 1700 block of Woodridge Road in West Bend, WI.
Police said the resident was “making threats to harm a neighboring family with a knife and burn down another home.”
Charges were filed in Judge James Muehlbauer’s courtroom.
Carter is charged with a felony failure to comply with officer, and misdemeanor charges including operate firearm while intoxicated, resisting /obstructing an officer, dangerous use of a weapon, disorderly conduct, and a handful of bail jumping charges. He is also facing misdemeanor criminal charges tied to two previous incidents.
In court Thursday afternoon:
Carter is facing similar charges from several incidents including one June 6, 2023, another June 13, 2023, and then the last incident June 20, 2023.
The initial competency exam was ordered June 22, 2023. The issue regarding the exam was reiterated during an August 11, 2023 court hearing, and now again Carter is being ordered to comply with the exam.
Neighbors noted Carter was home briefly on August 11, 2023, to gather some belongings and move his truck into the garage. Court records also indicate he’s move to Lake Bernice Drive in Campbellsport.
In the cases against Carter both have instructions that he have “No contact with L.L.C., M.L.G., T.J.G., E.Z. Absolute sobriety. Not possess any dangerous weapons. No contact with the residents located at addresses listed on bond or the properties.” The other instructions include: “No contact with L.A.C. and E.Z. Not possess any firearms. Absolute sobriety.”
A check of the Washington County Jail shows Carter posted $30,000 bond and was released September 21, 2023.
Click HERE for current status on whether Carter is still in custody.
On a history note: Carter’s home on Woodridge Road used to be in the name of David Carter, who was convicted in 1990 in Washington County Circuit court of 2nd degree reckless homicide.
Carter’s wife, Catherine Pesch, died in 1990. David Carter was sentenced to 8 years in prison. The homicide occurred inside the home.
David Carter died March 8, 2019 at the age of 80. His obituary lists Douglas Carter as his son.
Washington County tax records show Douglas Carter currently listed as the homeowner at the address on Woodridge Road, West Bend, WI.
Below is the original story that ran June 20, 2023 at WashingtonCountyInsider.com
A man, Douglas Carter, was taken into custody in the 1700 block of Woodridge Road on Tuesday evening, June 20, 2023, around 7:47 p.m. following an extended standoff with police.
A large military vehicle sat on the front lawn of the home in a neighborhood on the southeast end of town. Washington County Sheriffs were also on scene along with the SWAT Team.
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Squads were parked at the end of Paradise Drive and Maplewynde, cordoning off the area. Neighbors lined Maplewynde as they waited out the situation.
The standoff reportedly started earlier in the afternoon at 3:20 p.m.
Around 7 p.m. after police were spotting unloading a black case from the back of a squad on Longmeadow Drive, there was a loud bang around 7:30 p.m.
Police had been shouting orders through a megaphone ordering the man to come out with his hands up.
Shortly after the bang, Carter, dressed in a white t-shirt and greenish pants, was led out of the garage.
Carter, who was taken into custody, was walking in bare feet and complained he was bleeding and in need of immediate medical attention. Other than Carter, it appeared nobody was injured.
This is a working story and more information will be posted when details are available.
