Brillion City Council president faces battery, disorderly conduct charges

By David Nordby

The Brillion News

BRILLION – Brillion City Council president Kurtis Stephany has been charged with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.  

The charges stem from an incident on Sept. 21, 2025, at Deer Run. Stephany was not charged until July 15, nearly 10 months later. He will make his initial court appearance on Monday, Aug. 31. Charges were brought by the State of Wisconsin.

Stephany, 45, has been a member of City Council since April 2024 and president since April 2025. He previously served in the Brillion and New Holstein police departments.

He faces jail time of up to nine months and a fine of up to $10,000 for the battery charge and jail for up to 90 days and a fine of up to $1,000 for the disorderly conduct charge.

Altercation at Deer Run

According to the criminal complaint, the incident between Stephany and Cole S. Buelow, 27, started earlier in the night at a wedding at Cobblestone Creek. Buelow was accused of attempting to record up women's' dresses while they were on the dance floor, something he denied when he met with county deputies.

Buelow said that at Deer Run after the wedding, Stephany poured shots for patrons while on the bar but skipped over him. He then said he contemplated performing a “leg sweep” on Stephany but didn’t. Buelow said that Stephany then struck him on the left cheek when he got down from the bar. Deputy Vande Hey noted that Buelow’s cheek was swollen and there was a small cut bleeding on the back of his head from falling backwards during the altercation. Buelow could not recall what happened once he was on the ground or how many times he was struck.

Buelow got up and challenged Stephany to “go for round two,” which he suggested could be in the parking area.

Buelow, whose preliminary BAC test was a .259, provided a differing statement 15 minutes later to Deputy Oelke, saying he did attempt the leg sweep but missed, and Stephany then jumped off the bar, walked around it and punched him once before he hit his head and others intervened to prevent further conflict.

Witness Matthew Kluck confirmed to Deputy Vande Hey there were allegations of Buelow attempting to record women at the wedding but could not confirm if Buelow tried to grab Stephany’s legs at the bar. He did confirm seeing Stephany punch Buelow. Kluck also said he saw the two arguing prior to arrival at the bar and once at the bar and that he was unable to calm the situation.

When Deputy Vande Hey asked Stephany if he personally saw Buelow attempting to take inappropriate photos of women at the wedding, Stephany responded something to the effect of, “if my wife says it happened, it happened.”

Additional coverage will be included in the Sept. 3 edition of The Brillion News and updated on the website.