On April 12, 2012, Attorney Angela Dawn Dirden was charged with one count of resisting or obstructing an officer, a class A misdemeanor, in violation of Wis. Stat. § 946.41(1), related to her interactions with a police officer investigating potential crimes allegedly committed on July 23, 2011 by Dirden’s then boyfriend and another man. State of Wisconsin vs. Angela D. Dirden, Brown County case no. 2012CM000502. According to the criminal complaint, on or about July 23, 2011, at approximately 2:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., Dirden’s boyfriend and another man broke into the home of a third man and kicked and punched him multiple times, causing physical injuries. Dirden drove the two men to the apartment and drove them away from the apartment after the attack. Dirden asserted that she was unaware that the men intended to break into the apartment and attack the man, and that she was not immediately aware after the attack that they had done so. Dirden, her boyfriend and the other man colluded to provide false information to the police, should they be questioned about the night’s events.

On July 26, 2011, Dirden made intentional misrepresentations to the police officer investigating the events of July 23, 2011 regarding both the two suspects’ involvement and her own actions in driving them to and from the scene of the attack. After July 26, 2011, the police obtained telephone and text message records that the investigating officer believed contradicted Dirden’s version of events. On April 4, 2012, the investigating officer contacted Dirden again about the events of July 23, 2011. On April 5, 2012, Dirden admitted to the investigating officer that when she spoke with the officer on July 26, 2011 she made false statements about the events of July 23, 2011. On April 5, 2012, Dirden provided a more accurate account of the events of July 23, 2011 to the investigating officer, including her role in driving the men to and from the scene of the crime.