WASHINGTON COUNTY — Washington County Board Chair Donald Kriefall is calling on County Supervisor Timothy Michalak to resign due to pending gun charges.
Back in March, Michalak allegedly brought a concealed weapon into the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
TMJ4 News does not typically identify people who have not been criminally charged. However, because he is a public official, we have chosen to identify him in this case.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office said in a statement in late March that Michalak was talking to another county employee when his gun fell out of his waistband.
The person Michalak was talking to picked up the gun, thinking it was a cellphone, and handed it back to Michalak, who then concealed it back into his waistband.
The sheriff's office determined Michalak's concealed carry license had expired. Regardless, people are not allowed to carry concealed guns in public safety buildings.
When asked about the incident, Michalak said because he was an elected official, he believed he was exempt from the law and could carry his concealed weapon into police departments and the sheriff's office.
In addition to being a county supervisor, Michalak is also the mayor of Hartford.
The sheriff's office referred misdemeanor charges of carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a firearm in a public building to the Dodge County District Attorney's Office. Online court records show Michalak has not been charged in connection to the incident.
Board Chair Kriefall is now calling on Michalak to resign from his county supervisor position.
In a statement, Kriefall said Michalak expressed his regret for his actions. But Kreifall said, "it is important to remember that nobody no matter what their position in life is above the law."
Kriefall said Michalak's actions amount to a significant break of the public trust. He went on to say Michalak's presence on the board "is an unwelcome and unwanted distraction."
If Michalak does not resign immediately, Kriefall said he will begin preparing formal charges seeking Michalak's removal from the board.
TMJ4 News has reached out to Michalak for comment but we did not get a response before publishing this report.
