A Milwaukee County judge has ruled that the criminal case against former Radio Milwaukee executive director Jordan Lee can proceed to trial on a charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Borowski denied Lee’s motion to dismiss during an Oct. 21 preliminary hearing, finding sufficient probable cause for the case to move forward, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Lee, 45, of Kenosha, pleaded not guilty, according to the newspaper.
Lee is charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child under 12. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of 25 years of initial confinement if he is convicted, according to the criminal complaint and Milwaukee Magazine.
The complaint also describes allegations involving two additional people, according to the Journal Sentinel. The three alleged victims have personal connections to Lee.
Lee is scheduled to return to court Dec. 11 for a scheduling conference, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Arrests preceded the criminal charge
Lee was arrested in Kenosha on Nov. 13, 2025, on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault of a child under 13, according to arrest and detention records cited by the Journal Sentinel. He was released Nov. 16 after posting $20,000 cash bail, the newspaper reported.
He was arrested again July 13, 2026, after turning himself in to Milwaukee police on suspicion of the same offense. He posted $50,000 cash bail and was released July 15, according to the Journal Sentinel and Milwaukee Magazine’s reporting on the arrests.
Milwaukee County prosecutors filed the criminal charge Aug. 4. The complaint alleges sexual contact involving a child at a Milwaukee residence between July 26 and Aug. 4, 2025, according to WISN’s report on the charge.
The complaint also describes allegations involving two other people known to Lee. Those allegations are part of the complaint’s account; Lee faces one criminal count in the case.
Investigation began with information from a psychiatrist
Milwaukee Police Detective Melvin Finkley testified at the Oct. 21 hearing that the investigation began after a psychiatrist contacted police about an email Lee allegedly sent describing sexual abuse, the Journal Sentinel reported.
According to the criminal complaint, the psychiatrist provided investigators with an email Lee allegedly sent in October 2025. In the message, Lee described inappropriate sexual contact involving a child and said he needed additional counseling, WISN reported after reviewing the complaint.
The complaint also describes an iPhone note Lee allegedly sent to a woman. In the note, he acknowledged conduct involving three people, apologized and said it was not safe for him to be around children, according to the Journal Sentinel.
The complaint alleges that Lee described some of the incidents as occurring while he was asleep or under the influence of alcohol. These details are allegations contained in the complaint and have not been established at trial.
Radio Milwaukee knew of arrests before Lee left
Lee spent more than 16 years across two stints at Radio Milwaukee, including serving in leadership roles before becoming executive director in April 2025, according to Milwaukee Magazine.
Radio Milwaukee told the Journal Sentinel that Lee disclosed his November 2025 arrest to the board while he was on leave. The station said Lee characterized the arrest as related to a domestic matter and that it understood no charges had been filed at the time.
The station said it was not contacted by law enforcement or prosecutors about the arrest. It also cited Wisconsin employment law, which generally restricts employers from taking adverse action based solely on an arrest or conviction unless the circumstances of the offense are substantially related to the job.
Lee returned to work after the first arrest, according to the station’s account to Milwaukee Magazine. He was on leave again when he disclosed his second arrest in July 2026.
Radio Milwaukee said the board’s understanding of the allegations was limited until prosecutors filed the criminal complaint Aug. 4. Lee and the station mutually agreed to end his employment July 23, according to the station’s statement published by Milwaukee Magazine.
Al Orr, chair of Radio Milwaukee’s board, said in a message to staff that the board did not learn the specific allegations until the criminal complaint became public, the Journal Sentinel reported.
In an earlier statement following the filing of the charge, the station said it was “horrified by the allegations included in the complaint” and expressed concern for the people identified as victims.
Lee is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
