MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — A former Manitowoc County Sheriff's Lieutenant who served as an investigator in the much-disputed 2005 Steven Avery homicide case has been granted a $1,000 signature bond after being charged with misconduct in office for allegedly improperly accounting for funds unrelated to the Avery case.
David Remiker made his initial appearance in Manitowoc County Court Thursday; he dialed in via Zoom but kept his camera off.
The charges stem from misplaced Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office funds that were later traced back to Remiker, who retired last January after 31 years with Manitowoc County.
Deputies say Remiker was responsible for seizing asset forfeitures — or releasing and dispersing money seized from investigations.
The audit revealed "a possible discrepancy in the movements and activity involving the asset forfeitures" as officers looked through Remiker's work station and previous assignments. They found information about unaccounted funds from 2017 through 2023, and the complaint goes on to list the amount of funds allegedly missing from each year.
The total amount from missing funds add up to more than $15,500, according to a criminal complaint.
Remiker could not explain where the unaccounted funds could be, stating "it had to be somewhere, but was not sure where." He also stated that what happened "was a mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life, I can’t even explain it," according to the complaint.
In 2005, Remiker was one of the investigators who served a role in the Steven Avery homicide investigation.
The case is being heard by an out-of-county judge, Judge Guy Dutcher of Waushara County. Remiker's next preliminary hearing has been set for December 30th at 1:00 p.m.
