KEWAUNEE – A deputy with the Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department is on leave after he was charged last week with stalking a former girlfriend.

Eric Lee Pieschek, 55, of Algoma, who serves as operations lieutenant for the department, is facing a felony stalking charge as well as a charge for misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Both charges carry a domestic abuse modifier because Pieschek and the woman lived together at one time. The stalking charge carries a possible penalty of as much as three years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine while the penalty for the disorderly conduct charge could be as much as 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Appearing by video, Pieschek was charged in Kewaunee County Circuit Court on Sept. 26. He was held on $2,500 cash bond and was released after it was posted the next day. As conditions of his release, Pieschek cannot make contact with the woman, be within 200 feet of her or her residence (they live on neighboring properties), or contact five listed witnesses in the case. He is on paid administrative leave until the case is resolved.

The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office after Kewaunee County deputies asked their office on Sept. 14 to take over to avoid a conflict of intere.

The woman had contacted the Kewaunee office that day accusing Pieschek after she found apples on the ground in her fenced-in horse pasture that were cut in half and appeared to contain a suspicious substance.

Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski said his department is reaching out to another sheriff's department to conduct an internal investigation to determine if any policy violations occurred.

According to the criminal complaint, the incidents started March 1, shortly after Pieschek and the woman broke up and he asked her to move out of his residence, and continued through Sept. 24.

The woman told investigators she moved in with Pieschek in 2018 but after their first year together the relationship became stressful and he began saying derogatory things to her, although he never struck her and she never felt in danger.

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The two continued texting each other after separating, but on June 24 the woman asked Pieschek to stop communicating with her and blocked his cell number a couple weeks later.

The woman told investigators Pieschek continued to try to communicate with her, including three long letters written to her in late August, and began driving by her residence or parking his vehicle where he would be able to observe the residence. Some witnesses said they also received letters from Pieschek in which he wrote about his relationship with the woman, and one witness told investigators they were followed by a vehicle they believed to be Pieschek after leaving the woman's residence.

Pieschek is due back in court Oct. 13 for an adjourned initial appearance.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Kewaunee County deputy charged with stalking ex-girlfriend, on paid leave