SHEBOYGAN, Wis (WSAU) Prosecutors in Sheboygan are considering criminal charges against the city's embattled mayor. Officials said yesterday that Fond du Lac County deputies investigated Mayor Bob Ryan, as part of the City Council's ongoing probe into his possible removal from office. And they recommended two misdemeanor sexual assault counts for quote, "uninvited sexual contact" during the three-day drinking binge he admitted having in Elkhart Lake in July.

The D-A's office says it's still reviewing the matter, which was made public in a Council resolution to temporarily halt its investigation.

The aldermen voted 12-to-2 last night to suspend the probe while a recall election against Ryan takes place. A primary is set for January 17th. Ryan is targeted for three alcohol-related episodes during his two-and-a-half years as Sheboygan's mayor. But Ryan denied the sexual assault allegations and said the Council resolution contained quote, "any rumor, innuendo, accusation, or allegation that has come up over the last five months." And Ryan said it was a political "smear" just a month before the recall vote. The city's attorney's denied such motivation.