APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Documents of an investigation into a former Xavier High School principal have been released by the Appleton Police Department after concerns were raised about inappropriate conversations with students.
In November 2024, principal Mike Mauthe was placed on administrative leave. An investigation into Mauthe began after he resigned shortly after and accepted a job at St. Mary’s Catholic High School. Mauthe was Xavier’s principal for roughly 12 years.
Former Green Bay Packer charged for dog fighting in “largest seizure of dogs from one person”
According to the incident report obtained by Local 5 through an open records request, the Superintendent of Green Bay Diocese looked into the alleged communication between Mauthe and a former student, saying, “It became apparent that the communication was excessive.”
The report states that over 200 documents to the student were found within a month. Some of the alleged messages from Mauthe reportedly asked the student to hang out with him instead of going to class.
According to the police report, Mauthe constantly complimented the student and told her how important she was to him. In one instant Mauthe emailed saying ‘so you know how I hate sharing you, and you obviously know what buttons to press to make me chase you even harder.’
According to the police report, the girl’s mother confronted Mauthe asking him to stop texting her because it was inappropriate. Mauthe and the student then emailed back-and-forth trying to figure out how they’d still be able to communicate with each other after she graduated and lost her school email account.
According to the report, the girl told police that Mauthe continued to text her when she went off to college in the fall. She said she began to ignore his messages and at one point Mauthe texted her saying ‘just one more effort to show the willingness to chase.’ She said she blocked him.
The girl told police that Mauthe followed her on the music app Spotify and after she stopped talking with her he added a song to her playlist called ‘”Say something I’m giving up on you.”
She told police that her relationship with Mauthe was “unhealthy for me and manipulative.” She said her friend also had a similar relationship with Mauthe.
She said that Mauthe never talked sexually to her except for one instance when he said he had engaged in a sex act as a kid during a conversation about his life and his regrets as a kid.
Appleton PD started an investigation last November after the Superintendent of Green Bay Diocese was concerned Mauthe’s alleged conduct may be criminal.
Police officer in Wisconsin resigns amidst investigation into alleged retail theft on duty
According to Chief of Police Polly Olson of the Appleton Police Department, there was no probable cause to believe a crime was committed by Mauthe. Chief Olson provided the following statement to Local 5:
On November 12, 2024, the Appleton Police Department was contacted by the Diocese of Green Bay regarding their Appleton-based Xavier High School and the school principal, Mike Mauthe. Diocese leaders were concerned about information they discovered while investigating a personnel complaint made to them regarding Mr. Mauthe. The Diocese’s investigation centered on electronic communication Mauthe had with a former Xavier High School student. As these communications were reviewed, the Diocese was concerned about the nature of the subject matter and they contacted the Appleton Police Department. A detailed investigation was completed over the next four months, and the Appleton Police Department determined there was not probable cause to believe a crime had been committed by Mauthe and the investigation was closed.
Chief Polly Olson
In the report, the former student denied there was any sexual activity. Mauthe was fired after the internal investigation for violating the Diocese of Green Bay’s “Our Promise to Protect” policy.
Local 5 will provide an update to this story when more information is available.
