Ex-Wisconsin Capitol Officer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Art

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A former Wisconsin Capitol Police officer has pleaded guilty to stealing a state-owned painting from the governor's mansion.

Thirty-two-year-old Travis Sackett of Tempe, Arizona, pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony theft for stealing the 1968 painting "Gold Fantasy Box," by Wisconsin artist Aaron Bohrod.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports another charge — mail fraud, for selling the painting to a Connecticut art dealer — was dismissed but can be considered when the judge sentences Sackett in August.

Under a plea agreement, both sides are recommending that Sackett be placed on probation and serve 10 months in jail.

Sackett was a Capitol Police officer from 2009 to 2011. He worked nights at the governor's mansion in Maple Bluff.

The painting was discovered missing from storage at the residence in January.