LTE – St Croix County Rape Victim – 5-8-2017

Dear Editor, 

On Jan. 2nd of this year I reported my rapes to the St. Croix County Sheriff, who turned the case over to Investigator Hart. I was told upon my initial interview with a deputy that Hart would get ahold of me within two weeks to interview me further. I was never called. 

I then went to the sheriff’s department asking for her; when she was not there, I left a name and number for her to call me back. The next day she called my house and got my mother. Hart told my mother that she had more important cases to attend to, that my cases were misdemeanors, and that she would not work on them. When my mother asked her why they were misdemeanors Hart told her that it was because of the age I and my rapist were, which is a lie. I was 14-16 when he was 17-19 (this happened over a course of two years), making it felony rape. She also said she refused to indict since my rapist lives in New Mexico.

Hart then called and told me she could only talk to me, which is a lie since she’d just spoken to my mother. She told me that she had more important cases and would not work on mine, insisting that they were misdemeanors and she wouldn’t work on a misdemeanor case. I told her she could not ignore my case, to which she scoffed and told me she would need to contact my rapist.

After a few weeks, the local DA called. He said Investigator Hart talked to my rapist and he admitted to sex with a minor, but they would still not indict. He told me he was going to have Hart call me and interview me further. That was over two months ago and Hart never called. 

So my advice to victims in St. Croix County –  if you report a rape, and they give you Investigator Hart, request a new one immediately.  She could not care less about you or your story.

A Rape Victim in St. Croix County
(name being withheld)