Menominee County court sees meth and bail-jumping cases move forward

Meth possession and multiple bail-jumping counts kept Menominee County defendants returning to the Shawano County Courthouse, with Keshena again showing up as a recurring home base on the docket.

In one of the busiest entries, Nicole S. Madosh, 40, of Keshena, was charged May 6 with possession of methamphetamine, three felony counts of bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping, possession of an illegally obtained prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. Judge Katherine Sloma set a $500 cash bond and scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 18, putting the case on a fast timeline that could push it toward trial, a plea or a change in release conditions.

Another Keshena defendant, Marquita R. House, 37, was charged May 1 with possession of methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sloma also set her bond at $500 cash and scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 20. Those two cases alone show how often Menominee County’s criminal calendar is being driven by drug allegations tied to supervision problems, a combination that puts public safety, treatment options and compliance enforcement in the same courtroom conversation.

The docket also moved on a completed case involving Joseph C. Gleason, 55, of Merrill. He pleaded no contest May 7 to possession of methamphetamine and two felony counts of bail jumping. Sloma imposed fines and court costs and sentenced him to 132 days in jail. That outcome reflects the leverage bail-jumping charges can bring once a case reaches resolution, especially when they are paired with drug counts.

Another case moved in a different direction. Sloma approved a prosecution motion to dismiss 2024 charges against Justin Daniel Lehman, 38, of Peshtigo, on May 5, the day before he had been scheduled for trial. Prosecutors then refiled second-degree recklessly endangering safety and disorderly conduct charges, and an initial appearance was set for June 16. The sequence underscores how quickly criminal cases can be reshaped right before trial.

Menominee County hearings are held at the Shawano County Courthouse, 311 Main Street in Shawano. The Menominee County Clerk of Courts lists Judge Katie Sloma for Branch 1, Judge William Kussel Jr. for Branch 2, and says scheduling for Sloma’s branch goes through Judicial Assistant Amber Fischer at 715-526-9352. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin also maintains separate Tribal Courts, a Tribal Prosecutor, Tribal Public Defender, Tribal Jail and Tribal Police, part of a parallel justice system that often overlaps with county cases involving reservation-area residents.

The broader Wisconsin pattern adds context. Wisconsin prosecutors have filed bail-jumping charges about 250,000 times in the past five years, according to state court system figures cited by Wisconsin Watch, and the charge has become the most-used criminal count in the state. That makes the Menominee County docket part of a much larger pattern, but one that still lands locally in bond decisions, jail time and repeated court supervision.