IV. The Silence
Six years of complaints. 983 emails. One meeting. No prosecution. No investigation. No response.
The Timeline of Inaction
The Dane County District Attorney's Office has been aware of criminal activity at Ridglan for over six years. Despite repeated efforts, DA Ismael Ozanne has refused to even open an investigation.
May 2018: Immediately after the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist's article, a member of Hsiung's organization contacted the Dane County DA's Office, the Dane County Sheriff, and Dane County Animal Control. They requested an investigation, informed them of the article, and offered additional evidence. No response.
October 2022: The Animal Law Firm, an independent law firm with expertise in animal law, submitted a complaint to Animal Control, the Sheriff, and the DA's Office requesting criminal charges. No response.
May 2023: A follow-up complaint to the DA's Office with evidence from the 2017 investigation, supplemented with recent government inspection reports. No response.
March 2024: Additional evidence of animal cruelty shared with the DA, Sheriff, and Animal Control, including reports from former employees of surgical mutilations. No response.
March 18, 2024: Hsiung visited the DA's Office, Sheriff's Office, and Animal Control in person and delivered a complaint and a criminal referral from a former federal prosecutor. No response.
April 18, 2024: Hsiung and attorney Kristin Schrank met with DA Ozanne and an investigator from his office. The meeting lasted about ten minutes. Hsiung presented evidence. Ozanne's only response was: "You will hear from us." They never heard from him.
983 Emails
On October 22, 2024, Petitioners received the results of an open records request to the DA's Office regarding communications about Ridglan. The request revealed that the DA's Office had received 983 separate emails asking them to investigate Ridglan for animal cruelty. Petitioners are not aware of any response.
The Legal Standard
At a hearing on September 12, 2024, DA Ozanne stated that he had never received a "referral." But he had received several — including a criminal referral from a former federal prosecutor. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has held that a refusal to prosecute "can be indirect and inferred, as in a long silence or period of inaction."
Six years of silence is a refusal.