2/22/17 – A Beaver Dam man was sentenced to six years in prison yesterday for threatening police officers. In November, Steven Bilke pled to felony Threats to Law Enforcement and a misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct and had three other charges dismissed and read into the record. The incident happened in May, when Beaver Dam Police were dispatched to the 47-year-old’s house for a domestic disturbance in progress. Upon arrival, officers tried to arrest Bilke for an outstanding warrant. He refused to cooperate and pepper spray was used. Bilke threatened three Beaver Dam officers later that day at the hospital, telling them he would come to their homes and beat them. District Attorney Kurt Klomberg argued for a stiff sentence saying Bilke is a “career criminal with over 30 prior criminal convictions who has been in-an-out of prison for the last 20 years.” Klomberg says his office continues to prosecute such threats “vigorously” because law enforcement personnel deserve respect and he adds that because they are protecting lives everything must be done to support them. In addition to six years in prison, Bilke was sentenced to four years of extended supervision.
