Alton officer, former mayoral candidate on administrative leave after abuse accusations
A police lieutenant and former write-in candidate for mayor of Alton is on administrative leave after being charged with domestic battery.
Lieutenant Danny Rauschkolb, 49, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of domestic battery, according to a statement released Friday by Alton police.
According to the release, Rauschkolb is accused of physically assaulting a woman while he was off-duty on March 29 and Oct. 21. During the incident in March, he allegedly grabbed the woman by the neck and pushed her into a set of chairs, according to the charging documents.
Rauschkolb was placed on administrative leave earlier in the week, and the victim has requested an order of protection that would order the officer to refrain from any type of harassment, stalking, physical abuse or “willful deprivation and interference with personal liberty.”
The lieutenant turned himself in at the Madison County Sheriff’s Office on Friday and was released on bail shortly after.
In the department’s statement, Alton Police Chief Jason Simmons said if the accusations are true, they do not represent his department.
“The Alton Police Department is one of the most professional police agencies in our area, and takes domestic violence very seriously,” Simmons said. “If the allegations are true, Danny Rauschkolb’s actions are not an accurate representation of the men and women of the APD and I will not tolerate this type of behavior from any officer within this police department.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2019 at 2:22 PM.