12/27/2024

MINOCQUA - The man who was arrested for threatening both Oneida County Judge Michael Schieck and Gregg Walker, publisher of the Lakeland Times and the Northwoods River News remains in custody after Oneida County Judge Mary Sowinski gave him a cash bond of $40,000. Gruich, a supporter of Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad, made email threats with language that investigators found was very similar used by Bangstad in posts of his own on social media. Gruich still does not have an attorney and does not qualify for a court-appointed attorney. After making that ruling, Judge Sowinski recused herself, stating that it was unclear when she was assigned the case that it was another presiding Oneida County judge that had been threatened. Gruich had told law enforcement that he never met Kirk Bangstad, but had been contacted by him for fundraising purposes to mount his own defense, and that he never intended to act on any of his threats.