Prominent DA Sexted Abuse Victim

Despite accusations of "sexting" a 26-year-old domestic abuse victim whose ex-boyfriend he was prosecuting, a prominent Wisconsin district attorney will remain in his post. Then-married Kenneth Kratz, 50, sent his first—polite—message to Stephanie Van Groll after interviewing her about the case in October 2009. His texts quickly escalated ("Are you the kind of girl that likes secret contact with an older married elected DA ... the riskier the better?") and she reported him to police after receiving 30 texts in three days, some of which she called "kind of vulgar."

Ironically, Kratz founded and chaired the Wisconsin Crime Victims' Rights Board, which reprimands judges, prosecutors, or police officers who mistreat victims, the AP reports. Kratz, who filed for divorce in December, does not deny sending the messages, but says he was never found to have violated any rules of conduct. He did, however, remove himself from Van Groll's case and resigned as chair of the Victims' Rights Board. Van Groll was told he will not be charged because "they didn't think he did anything criminally wrong."
(More Kenneth Kratz stories.)