Campground owner who ignored COVID protocols cites virus fear as reason for skipping court

SHAWANO, Wis. (WLUK) — Another arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for a Wisconsin campground owner after she didn’t show up in court a second time on charges of eluding police and resisting arrest – and this time Ann Retzlaff won’t be able to post bond to get out of jail.

Police said they tried to pull Retzlaff over for failure to stop at a traffic light on May 15, but she did not pull over. She was eventually arrested and charged with four counts, including recklessly endangering safety.

Retzlaff, 52, was supposed to have an initial appearance on Oct. 5, but she was ill, so the case was adjourned to Oct. 26 – with a requirement she appear in person. That did not happen, however, and Judge William Kussel ordered a warrant for her arrest, court records show.

After she was arrested on the warrant, Retzlaff posted the $3,000 bond Judge Kussel set. She was released with a court date set for Tuesday.

She didn’t show.

In an email to the court Monday, Retzlaff asked for a postponement.

“I fear for my life to be in an enclosed area with people in it that may have the contagion covid. Based on documented, peer-reviews on the seriousness of the contagion covid, I will not make a special appearance tomorrow. Furthermore, with the weather changes, my injuries sustained while on Active Duty Army are flaring up. I am a verified Disabled American Veteran and I need time to see my healthcare providers and for the injuries to heal. I request a postponement so I have time to recover and I can not risk my health any further in my condition and I fear for my life,” Retzlaff wrote.

The Clerk of Courts replied Tuesday morning the judge would not grant the request, noting the precautions taken in the courthouse during the coronavirus pandemic, and indicating a warrant would be issued if she didn’t show.

Retzlaff replied: “The last warrant was illegal and no authorized signature by anyone, thus not valid. ALL warrants must be reviewed and authorized by Sheriff (Adam) Bieber. If he does authorize nonsense like this continued harassment then he is also dirty and covering up the satanic pedophilia, sex/drug/human/child trafficking in our area.”

She also reiterated her medical concerns.

And, in another email, she again informed the court she would not attend, asserting “there is NO jurisdiction over me. I have waited FOUR YEARS for justice to be served where I am the victim of a $60,000 theft, but I ask for a postponement for medical reasons and I am denied. Why?”

Judge Kussel called the case about 45 minutes after its scheduled time Tuesday, and Retzlaff wasn’t there.

He reviewed the emails, and the prosecutor asked for the requests to be denied. Noting they weren’t properly filed, and did not cite any proper legal authority, Judge Kussel rejected them.

“The court is convinced that by the tone of these letters, by the words she’s put in these letters, it’s clear she doesn’t intend to make an appearance in this court voluntarily,” the judge said.

He issued another warrant, this time one known as “body only,” meaning there is not an option for her to post bond, and she must appear before a judge before she could be released.

The judge also said the $3,000 cash she previously posted will be forfeited.

Retzlaff owns Annie’s Campground, near Gresham, in Shawano County, Wisconsin.

According to the criminal complaint, police tried to pull Retzlaff over for failure to stop at a traffic light on May 15, but she did not pull over. Eventually, traffic stop spikes were deployed, flattening her tires, and the vehicle stopped. An officer advised her to get out of the vehicle.

“She stated she did not do anything wrong, and she was being wrongfully stopped. She stated she is a sovereign citizen and will not step out of the vehicle,” the complaint states.

A deputy tried to pry a vehicle door open when Retzlaff put the vehicle in gear to drive away. Two deputies had to move out of the way to avoid being hit by the vehicle, it states.

The vehicle was stopped a second time. A deputy “broke the driver window with his baton. The door was then opened, and Ann was taken from the vehicle and escorted to the ground. She was secured in handcuffs,” the complaint states.

Retzlaff told police she was rescuing an employee from sex traffickers, which is why she didn’t stop for police, and maintained she didn’t do anything wrong.

Retzlaff has been in trouble with the law before. Last year, she was ticketed for unlawful use of a telephone for posing as a Shawano County sheriff's deputy. Her campground also came under fire last year for ignoring protocols to slow the spread of COVID-19.