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Man says Dr. Phil was inspiration to scare wife (Wife Locked in trunk Alert)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ^ | Aug. 9, 2005 | By DAN BENSON

Posted on 08/10/2005 2:31:05 PM PDT by Cowman

Man says Dr. Phil was inspiration to scare wife

Fredonia man to serve 6 months, undergo counseling

Port Washington - A Fredonia man who says he was influenced by TV talk show host "Dr. Phil" McGraw to hire someone to give his wife "a terrific scare" by kidnapping her and locking her in a truck of a car was sentenced Tuesday to six months in jail and ordered to undergo mental health counseling

With the man's wife, five grown children and several friends looking on, Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Tom R. Wolfgram also sentenced Ronald J. Schueller to three years of probation and ordered him to have no contact with his wife and to stay at least 250 yards away from her home.

"The facts of this case don't subject themselves to any rational analysis whatsoever," Wolfgram said, calling Schueller's case one of the most bizarre cases he had ever encountered as a judge, district attorney or in private practice during his legal career of about 30 years.

Schueller pleaded no contest in June to one felony count of solicitation of false imprisonment.

According to a criminal complaint, Schueller offered to pay an undercover sheriff's deputy $1,000 to give his wife "a terrific scare" by knocking her unconscious and locking her in the trunk of a car.

Schueller first told his intentions to a bartender, who put Schueller in touch with the undercover deputy, the complaint says.

Schueller met the deputy in May 2004 at Waubedonia county park west of Fredonia and told him, "I've got a lot of trouble with the wife," according to the complaint.

Schueller also suggested that the deputy steal his wife's driver's license, cash and credit cards to simulate a robbery, that he drive the car to a remote place outside Washington or Ozaukee counties, and that he smash the windows and leave the car, according to the complaint.

When asked whether the deputy should hurt his wife, Schueller said: "Don't hurt her. Maybe just bruise her a little," the complaint says.

Schueller gave the deputy information on his wife's work schedule, her address and photograph of her, and Schueller agreed to pay $1,000 in two installments, the complaint says.

Schueller later told investigators that the idea for committing the crime came to him after watching an episode of "Dr. Phil," a self-help talk show, during which host McGraw said sometimes people need "a good scare" to snap them out of their delusions.

"He convinced himself that he needed to scare her so she would see the error of her ways," said Schueller's attorney, Gerald P. Boyle.

Chandler Hayes, a spokesman for McGraw, said he had no comment on Schueller's case.

Schueller's wife, Virginia Schueller, 57, was granted a temporary restraining order against her husband in June 2004 and filed for divorce two months later. In her petition, she said the couple have been married for 36 years but separated in September 2002.

Schueller is estranged from his five children, all of whom sat in the courtroom near their mother, Boyle said.

Boyle asked that Schueller be allowed two weeks to attend to personal affairs before needing to report to the Ozaukee County Jail, but Wolfgram denied that request, saying that Schueller posed a potential risk to his wife and family.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: deputy; drphil; estrangement; goon; trapped; trunk
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A good scare!! Sheesh! I just got a fright wig and a Hellen Thomas mask and waited outside her bedroom window one night.
1 posted on 08/10/2005 2:31:13 PM PDT by Cowman
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To: Cowman

DId she suffer from teh 'delusion'that her husband was dangerous?


2 posted on 08/10/2005 2:34:02 PM PDT by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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To: Cowman

"See what a good time we had when you thought you were going to be raped or killed? It's just like that Dr Phil episode "Re-kindling marriage via psychopathy". Now c'mon sweetheart-- drop that restraining order and let's move back in together."


3 posted on 08/10/2005 2:38:36 PM PDT by bigmac0707
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To: Cowman

He should have simply claimed to be a Muslim, then everyone would understand.


4 posted on 08/10/2005 2:42:30 PM PDT by thoughtomator (Free Michael Graham!)
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To: All
This is giving me ideas....verrrry disturbing ideas. But not the ideas that the judge has :)
5 posted on 08/10/2005 2:45:34 PM PDT by neither-nor
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To: Cowman

Fredonia? wasnt Groucho president there once?


6 posted on 08/10/2005 2:47:07 PM PDT by isom35
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To: Cowman

Dr. Phil is scary, if you ask me. Mad TV does the best spoofs of him.


7 posted on 08/10/2005 2:48:29 PM PDT by veronica
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To: Cowman

I am getting the glimmer of an idea here...

After that guy killed his wife and put her into a husky tote I bought two of them, and made sure the wife saw them. She laughed at me, and said she was going to stuff me into one of them with a couple of cinder blocks.

I never should have taught her how to handle a heater, now it may well be too late for me.

Before I got married I was the boss, now I am the janitor.


8 posted on 08/10/2005 3:03:35 PM PDT by mmercier
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To: Cowman

Next thing you know, the Leftmedia will be asking him if he's a "born-again Christian." You know it will all end up being Bush's fault.


9 posted on 08/10/2005 3:06:36 PM PDT by Albion Wilde (Spade = spade.)
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To: Cowman

Wh....wait a minute.

Y' mean you're NOT allowed to lock your wife in the trunk of your car..??!!!!

NOW they tell me.


10 posted on 08/10/2005 3:12:22 PM PDT by PoorMuttly (A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun -T.Jefferson)
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To: Cowman

But Dr. Phil will invariably ask him if he has 'taken ownership' of what he has done...


11 posted on 08/10/2005 3:13:10 PM PDT by HitmanLV
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To: Cowman

Dr. Phil is the devil.


12 posted on 08/10/2005 3:22:07 PM PDT by Jaysun (Name one war — anywhere — that had a "timetable".)
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To: mmercier
Before I got married I was the boss, now I am the janitor.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com

13 posted on 08/10/2005 3:44:53 PM PDT by Cowman (Just when you hit the bottom of the stupid hole you notice the guy next to you is digging)
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To: BenLurkin

You seem to have hit the nail on the head.


14 posted on 08/10/2005 3:45:32 PM PDT by TXBubba ( Democrats: If they don't abort you then they will tax you to death.)
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To: Cowman

"So how's that workin' for ya, Ron?"


15 posted on 08/10/2005 3:46:21 PM PDT by RichInOC (...somebody was going to post it...why not me?)
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To: mmercier

"Before I got married I was the boss, now I am the janitor."

Always, ALWAYS read the fine print, Dude! ;)


16 posted on 08/10/2005 3:50:02 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Cowman

"Schueller first told his intentions to a bartender..."

Moe! How could you?!? ;)


17 posted on 08/10/2005 3:50:52 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: isom35

Yes. It is "Land of the brave and free!"

http://www.geocities.com/emruf/ds.html


18 posted on 08/10/2005 3:51:08 PM PDT by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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To: Cowman

I tried to lock my wife in the trunk once, boy did she
let me have it when she got out the side door of our
mini-van!


19 posted on 08/10/2005 3:55:29 PM PDT by BigDaddyTX
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To: Cowman

What does Dr. Phil have to do with this? Or did he just take the place of the proverbial, "Voices in my head told me to do it?"


20 posted on 08/10/2005 3:58:28 PM PDT by World'sGoneInsane (LET NO ONE BE FORGOTTEN, LET NO ONE FORGET)
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