WAUKESHA, Wis. —
Criminal charges have now been filed against the former Sun Badger Solar owners in Waukesha County. Trevor Sumner made his initial appearance in Waukesha County court Friday on charges of theft by contractor connected to his ownership of Sun Badger Solar.
According to court documents, the company has 146 complaints from customers in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota who paid thousands of dollars for solar panels that were never installed.
Waukesha County Court Commissioner Alina Flink set cash bail at $10,000 after expressing frustration with Sumner's demeanor during the hearing.
"I am going to order… Don't get smart with me, Mr. Sumner," said Flink. "Given everything I said here in court and quite frankly his attitude here in court I'm going to set cash bail in the amount of $10,000."
Sumner and his former partner Kristopher Sipe now face criminal charges in Dane, Columbia and Waukesha counties connected to running Sun Badger Solar. Until earlier this year, the two had only faced civil claims.
In 2023, customers told me they had paid tens of thousands of dollars to Sun Badger Solar and received no solar panels in return.
"We paid $20,000," Madison Curup said.
"We put in a 50 percent deposit over $20,000, that is a lot of money," Jim Zahn said.
WATCH: Criminal charges filed against Sun Badger Solar owners in Waukesha County
Waukesha County's Jack Rieder said the criminal case has been an active pursuit.
"This isn't something that just sat on a desk gathering dust. This has been an active pursuit for a long time. And I'm just happy we can get the ball rolling on the criminal proceedings now," Rieder said.
Sumner's attorney argued in court that the situation stemmed from a bank loan that was called in early, ultimately leading the company into bankruptcy.
When asked if he or his attorney had anything to say after the hearing, defense attorney Corey Chirafisi said, "Not at this time."
Sipe's initial appearance is scheduled for October 2.
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