Susan Happ, the Democratic candidate for attorney general in Wisconsin, is under fire today for a plea agreement made with an alleged child sex offender nearly five years after she and her husband sold property to the defendant, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting.

Happ, the Jefferson County District Attorney, earlier this year, signed off on a plea deal with Daniel J. Reynolds, reducing felony charges of first and second-degree sexual assault of a child to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Reynolds agreed to court stipulations – including avoiding further trouble with the law for a year – in order to get the reduced charge.

As the Journal Sentinel reports, public records indicate that Happ and her husband sold property on a land contract to Reynolds in 2009, “raising questions about how tough (Happ) and her office are on alleged sex criminals.”

Johnny Koremenos, campaign manager for Brad Schimel, Happ’s Republican opponent, says Happ was “cutting deals for an alleged child rapist who has financial ties to her family.”

Happ’s campaign’s defense is that it was actually assistant district attorney Monica Hall who handled the Reynolds prosecution.

Questions about her commitment to public safety might be the last thing Happ needs as she vies to become the state’s top cop, especially since Schimel has been accumulating key state law-enforcement endorsements.

Recent polling shows both Happ and Schimel have little name recognition among voters. Schimel is working hard to define Happ as soft on crime and an inexperienced prosecutor. News that Happ’s office chose to handle the Reynolds case rather than ask for a special prosecutor to avoid any appearance of impropriety has given considerable fuel to Schimel.