Alison Dirr

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

"Making a Murderer" questions the tactics of members of the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office, and now a lieutenant is firing back — at one of our reporters.

Lt. Andrew Colborn, who was featured in the smash-hit Netflix documentary, berated USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter JohnFerak for writing a story about the current whereabouts of key players in the case.

"I hope you are proud of the fact that you felt it was necessary to publish private information about Mr. (James) Lenk’s residence, as he is now a citizen in poor health trying to live a quiet life away from this media circus. You should be ashamed of yourself," Colborn wrote.

Later in the email, Colborn added: "I know the truth doesn’t sell newspapers as much as lies and controversy, but for once try thinking about the consequences of the slander and defamation that you are authoring and participating in. A word of caution, be careful what you wish for. If Steven Avery is ever freed, he may just become your neighbor, and he may want to bring his nephew with him."

Colborn sent the email, which is published in full at the bottom of this story, Tuesday from his public sheriff's department account. He was a sergeant during the investigation into the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach.

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During the trial, Steven Avery's defense attorneys, Dean Strang and Jerome Buting, questioned whether Colborn and then-Manitowoc County Lt. James Lenk were involved in planting evidence. Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted in the murder.

Joel Christopher, vice president of news for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, edited Ferak's story and stood by the organization's reporting.

"I was surprised by (Colborn's) strong reaction," Christopher said. "I thought it was a pretty straightforward account of where the principal people in this case are today. Certainly it is a point of interest for readers, it's absolutely a legitimate piece of reporting. In fact, it's a vital piece of reporting for people who are trying to familiarize themselves with a complex case that is nearly a decade old."

Colborn, reached by phone Tuesday afternoon, said he won't do any media interviews about the case. He added that all of his testimony is publicly available, as well as his background, including his U.S. military record. Colborn said he refuses to watch the series.

Manitowoc County Sheriff Robert C. Hermann said he was not aware of the email until USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin brought it to his attention Tuesday afternoon. He said he didn’t want to make assumptions about why Colborn sent the email and wanted to talk with him about it.

Colborn said he sent the email out of concern for officers' safety, including Lenk's and his own, and because the story says that Lenk lives in Green Valley, Arizona. Colborn deemed Lenk a private citizen — a characterization Christopher called "absurd."

"We, in a very general sense, reported where Lenk is," Christopher said. "Lenk is a public figure in this case, like it or not. We didn't print his address. It's not like we published a photo of his home or his telephone number. We sent a reporter to speak to him, which is absolutely legitimate and there's no apology necessary for that."

Anyone who takes a job as a public servant could become a public figure, which is what happened in this case, Christopher said.

He also extended an invitation to Colborn to speak more fully about the case at any time.

"If (Colborn) wants to talk to us further and sit down and go point by point to address the issues that were brought up in that documentary, we’re happy to do that at any time,” Christopher said. "And certainly he should have that opportunity as someone who is back in the news as part of that documentary."

Colborn's email reads:

I would like to personally admonish you for continuing to publish inaccurate information and for fueling the threats we continue to receive. Why don’t you take the time to thoroughly investigate ALL the readily available information before you publish your articles? I hope you are proud of the fact that you felt it was necessary to publish private information about Mr. Lenk’s residence, as he is now a citizen in poor health trying to live a quiet life away from this media circus. You should be ashamed of yourself. You know all these allegations against Mr. Lenk, myself and our agency are totally false, yet you continue to support these lies and exacerbate the problems they cause. Try and imagine if something serious happens to one of us or to a member of our families because of all the completely distorted and slanted information that is being published by subjects like yourself. Your lack of responsibility and your bias is appalling. I know the truth doesn’t sell newspapers as much as lies and controversy, but for once try thinking about the consequences of the slander and defamation that you are authoring and participating in. A word of caution, be careful what you wish for. If Steven Avery is ever freed, he may just become your neighbor, and he may want to bring his nephew with him.

Timeline: History of the Steven Avery case

Related: “Making a Murderer” coverage, archived stories and more

Previously: Who's who in the Steven Avery case

Alison Dirr: 920-996-7266 or adirr@gannett.com; on Twitter @AlisonDirr

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