Suspect in arrest where MPD officer was shot pleads in 11 cases

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Fitchburg man involved in an October 2021 arrest during which a Madison Police Dept. officer inadvertently shot a fellow officer returned to a Dane Co. courtroom Tuesday after striking a deal with prosecutors in the nearly one dozen separate cases against him.

When he headed into court Tuesday morning, Katoine Richardson faced 46 charges, including 20 felony counts, dating back to Nov. 2019. The court ended up dismissing many of the charges he faced. When all was said and done, Richardson was convicted on 10 counts and had five years of prison time added to the four years he is already serving for federal charges.

Two of Richardson’s guilty pleas came in connection to his most recent arrest, in March 2022, after he and another person held an individual at gunpoint and stole $120 and the victim’s gun. According to the criminal complaint, the victim told the Fitchburg Police Department he recognized one of the men as Richardson because he would buy marijuana from the suspect. The criminal complaint in that case reports Richardson admitted he was involved in the robbery but told investigators he was not alone. Richardson was arrested nearly a week after the incident because investigators knew he had to go to the Dane Co. Circuit Court that day, the complaint states.

In that case, Richardson, 20, pleaded guilty to armed Robbery and theft. He was sentenced to four years in prison for each of the charges. The sentences were set to run concurrent with each other and a four-year sentence stemming from a federal firearm charge. Eight felony bail jumping counts, as well as two other felony counts and a misdemeanor were dismissed.

Less than six months before that incident, an MPD officer, Rick Bruess, suffered minor injuries when he was shot by a fellow officer during another one of Richardson’s arrests. Just after midnight on Oct. 21, 2021, an officer monitoring surveillance video spotted Richardson and knew he was in violation of his bail condition that were related to several open cases already against him at the time, the Dane Co. District Attorney explained.

In its criminal complaint, prosecutors alleged Richardson ran away when an officer approached him. Nearby officers, who were not involved in the pursuit, reported hearing a single gunshot. A sergeant responding to the scene saw multiple MPD officers pinning the suspect to the ground and said there appeared to be a gun under the suspect’s outstretched hands. The officers secured the weapon and took Richardson into custody. The complaint noted the injured officer had suffered a hip injury during the struggle with the suspect.

Richardson was convicted of three felonies for that encounter: resisting arrest resulting in bodily damage to an officer, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He was given two years in prison for each of the endangering safety charges and another year for the resisting arrest count – all of which were ordered to be served consecutive which each other and with the other sentences. In these sentences and the ones connected to the March 2022 armed robbery, Richardson was given extended supervision that corresponded with the time he would spend in prison.

In another case, Richardson was convicted of two felony burglary counts and a single charge of receiving stolen goods. He was given sentences of two years in prison, plus three years of extended release. However, all those sentences were stayed by the court. The final two cases for which he pleaded guilty were misdemeanors: hit and run and operating without consent, charges which stemmed from separate incidents.

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