Santiago Teniente could have faced more than 12 years in prison after he threatened police officers in a standoff, pointing an AR-15-style rifle at them while intoxicated.
It was an exceptionally dangerous scene for law enforcement. At one point, the defendant “turned, pointing the AR-15 directly at Officer Arndt’s front windshield, aiming down the sights of the weapon,” the criminal complaint says. He did the same to a second officer.
But he caught a break; Santiago Teniente landed in the courtroom of Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. What did Crawford give him? Probation and 4 months in the Huber jail.
On May 15, 2022, court records say Crawford signed an order requesting discharge early from probation. “DISCHARGE – EARLY,” the records say.
We obtained this case through an open records request with Dane County courts for all of Crawford’s cases as a judge. She is running for state Supreme Court against former Attorney General Brad Schimel. We previously wrote about weak sentences she gave a shooter and a child molester.
Santiago Teniente Charges
Santiago Teniente, of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, was charged with:
- Two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety (he faced 12.5 years in prison on each count);
- Two counts of intentionally pointing a firearm at a law enforcement officer (he faced 6 years in prison on each);
- Endanger safety by reckless use of a firearm (he faced 10 years in prison);
- Possession of a firearm while intoxicated (he faced 9 months max);
- Disorderly conduct domestic abuse with a dangerous weapon (he faced 90 days max). He also faced a penalty enhancer. Altogether, he faced more than 47 years in prison.
Crawford tossed three felony charges, court records say, accepting a plea agreement. He was convicted of intentionally pointing a firearm at a law enforcement officer (2 counts); the possession of a firearm while intoxicated offense; and disorderly conduct. He faced more than 12 years in prison for those crimes.
She ordered his $2,000 bail, set by a court commissioner, to continue, even after his plea. He had posted it long before. Before sentencing, there was a violation report and a bail hearing, but Crawford kept his bail the same.
Read the criminal complaint here. The criminal complaint alleges:
On April 15, 2018, a woman called the police and said that her child’s father, Teniente, was in her house with a gun. She said she had locked herself in a room with her 4-year-old daughter. Officers found him standing next to a jeep.
That’s when he’s accused of pointing the AR-15 at the first officer.
The officer believed the defendant was “attempting to get a clear line of sight on him,” the complaint says.
The officer tried to conceal himself in his squad and notified dispatch that the defendant was pointing the long rifle. Teniente also tried to get a line of sight on a second officer, the complaint says. He was arrested after a K9 was released.
The woman told police he pushed her on the bed after drinking. He pointed a gun in her direction and called her a b*tch. She heard a loud clicking sound, the complaint alleged. It says he had a .172 BAC and officers found a bullet hole in a living room floorboard and a magazine that held 17 rounds.
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