BROWN COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIR FACES SEX CHARGES

Fleischman's Attorney Denies Allegations

The chairman of the Republican Party in Brown County faces criminal
charges for allegedly fondling a 16-year-old Ethan House runaway and
providing the boy with beer and marijuana late last year.

Donald Fleischman, 37, of Allouez, was charged last month with two
counts of child enticement, two counts of contributing to the
delinquency of a child and a single charge of exposing himself to a
child.

He was summoned to Brown County court for his initial appearance on
Sept. 28. He is free having posted a signature bond as his promise to
return to court.

Fleischman's lawyer, Jeff Jazgar, said he plans to confront the
charges at the preliminary hearing set for Oct. 29. He declined to
discuss specifics of the allegations.

"My client is innocent of the charges," Jazgar said Friday. "Our plan
is to get some witnesses to testify and present enough information to
dismiss the case.

Efforts to reach Fleischman were unsuccessful Friday.

Green Bay police went to Fleischman's Goodell Street home Nov. 19,
2006, looking for two runaways from Ethan House, a juvenile facility
on nearby Emilie Street, according to the criminal complaint filed
Sept. 7.

Fleischman opened the door and allowed officers inside where they
found a 16-year-old boy hiding on the floor of a walk-in closet
wearing only underwear and a T-shirt, the complaint said.

Officers found a black, purple and blue-swirled glass pipe in the
living room, which tested positive for marijuana residue, the
complaint said.

Police returned to Fleischman's home on Dec. 8, 2006, and found the
boy there again. He had been a runaway from Ethan House for eight days.

The teen, now 17, told authorities Fleischman took him to a hotel in
Appleton during that time and then to a cabin near Florence for
several days before returning to Fleischman's Allouez home. The boy
said Fleischman provided him with beer and marijuana, the complaint
said.

The boy told police that when he would go to bed, Fleischman would
fondle him and that on one occasion he awoke to find Fleischman at the
foot of his bed masturbating.

Detectives obtained the boy's drug tests from the days around the time
he spent with Fleischman, and three samples from late November and
early December tested positive for marijuana.

Fleischman has resigned his post with the Brown County Republicans,
said Kirsten Kukowski, communications director for the Republican
Party of Wisconsin.

Efforts to confirm Fleischman's resignation with local leadership were
unsuccessful Friday.

If convicted on both felonies and all three misdemeanors, Fleischman
faces 52 years in prison.