Deputy charged with misconduct, marijuana possession

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — A Kenosha County sheriff’s deputy is charged with misconduct in office and possessing marijuana.

A criminal complaint accuses 32-year-old Brian Houtsinger of filing a false report about the arrest of a man for bail jumping and of failing to file a report about marijuana he had confiscated during a vehicle stop. The complaint says Houtsinger later told authorities he threw the bag of marijuana in the trash at a nearby gas station.

Prosecutors say marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found in the deputy’s squad car. The complaint says more than 13 grams of marijuana, packaging material and a digital scale were found in the trunk. Houtsinger told investigators the marijuana had been there for months and that he had gotten it from a “young black kid.”

Court records do not list an attorney for Houtsinger.