Man’s Valentine flowers result in felony charge

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A Sheboygan man sent flowers to his estranged wife for Valentine’s Day – and in return, he was given a felony bail jumping charge.

Prosecutors said 23-year-old Zachary Zelko violated a restraining order when he sent the flowers to his wife’s workplace on Monday. They came with a note saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day, enjoy the chocolates.”

The woman called a staffer in the district attorney’s office who helps crime victims – and that person called the police. Zelko was not supposed to have direct or indirect contact with his wife after he was charged January 17 with battery, strangulation, and false imprisonment.

A Sheboygan police investigator went to the store where the flowers were bought – and a clerk asked that Zelko’s name not be given out, because he was not allowed to have contact with his wife.

He has pleaded innocent to his original charges. And he’s due back in court a week from today, when a judge will decide if there’s enough evidence to order a trial for bail jumping. Zelko is free after posting a $300 bond yesterday.

Tags: crime, courts, wisconsin