Arrest warrant issued for Minocqua Brewing Co. owner Kirk Bangstad

By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review

An Oneida County judge on Wednesday issued a warrant for the arrest of Kirk Bangstad, owner of the Minocqua Brewing Co., related to a defamation case filed after he falsely implied a newspaper publisher let his own brother die for financial gain.

In an August 2021 social media post, Bangstad wrote that Lakeland Times Publisher Gregg Walker “allegedly stood by and did nothing while his brother accidentally fell from a tree stand and died” because he “allegedly knew he would inherit the once-legitimate Lakeland Times if his brother was out of the picture,” according to court documents. Walker was 17 at the time of the accident and was not present with his brother.

According to a Wisconsin Public Radio Report, at the time of that post, Walker had already filed suit against Bangstad over an earlier post that referred to Walker as a “crook.” Bangstad made the comments in a public message about that lawsuit.

Bangstad was ultimately found guilty of defaming Walker and was ordered to pay nearly $760,000 in damages. The Minocqua Brewing Co. was also ordered to pay roughly $329,000 in damages in the lawsuit. Neither debt has been paid, according to court records.

The Minocqua Brewing Co.’s Facebook page on Wednesday shows a screenshot of a WJFW story about the warrant with the caption, “Ok guys, if you see Kirk anywhere, keep it on the down low ok?”

The arrest warrant was filed after Bangstad allegedly failed to appear for a legally-required court hearing.

A motion hearing is set for May 22 in the case.