'Dangerous and reckless': Nine Wisconsin state employees arrested in connection with jail deaths | Crime

DODGE COUNTY, Wis. (WKOW) – Nine Wisconsin state employees have been arrested in connection with two of four deaths at the Waupun Correctional Facility over the past year. No charges will be filed at this time for the other two deaths.

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt announced the charges Wednesday during a news conference held at the sheriff's office.

“The people in our custody is not a phrase I would use at the Waupun Correctional Center,” Schmidt said. “These people were not taken care of. And they are people. They were not taken care of at the Waupun prison and we are going to hold those responsible accountable.”

Waupun Correctional Facility Warden Randall Hepp was booked into the Dodge County Jail around 8:20 a.m. before the news conference.

The following people were all arrested for the following offenses:

Abuse of Correctional Facility Residents – Wisconsin Law 940.29 – Class I Felony

• Gwendolyn Peachey (Vick) – 50 Years of Burnett – Registered Nurse
• Brandon Fisher – 29 years old, from Fox Lake – Correctional Lieutenant – 2 counts
• Tanner Leopold – 27 from Waupun – Correctional Sergeant
• Jamall Russell – 39 from Beaver Dam – Correctional Officer
• Alexander Hollfelder – 31 years old from Waupun – Correctional Sergeant
• Jessica Hosfelt – 47 from Oshkosh – Registered Nurse

Misconduct in Public Office – Wisconsin Statute 946.12(1) – Class I Felony

• Jamall Russell – 39 from Beaver Dam – Correctional Officer
• Sarah Ransbottom – 35 from Oshkosh – Correctional Officer
• Jeramie Chalker – 41 years old from Brandon – Correctional Sergeant
• Randall Hepp – Waupun Correctional Facility Warden

“These investigations have shown a blatant disregard for the safety of human beings and arrests must be made and have been made,” Schmidt said. “As sheriff, I am angry at the way these men were treated and how they died.”

In one of the deaths, the Dodge County medical examiner ruled the manner of death a homicide. According to Schmidt, that inmate died in February of malnutrition and dehydration. He said staff failed to feed him properly and monitor him.

In another death, the inmate had been dead in his cell for 12 hours before being located, Schmidt said. This inmate died of a stroke in October 2023.

Schmidt said there was a failure to “ensure the safety of detainees and, most importantly, their lives.”

He said Wisconsin's oldest state prison was operating “dangerously and recklessly.”

Schmidt called on the governor and state Legislature to address ongoing problems at state-run correctional facilities like Waupun.

“My recommendations to the State of Wisconsin (is) to seriously consider renovating housing units or closing and replacing the Waupun and Green Bay correctional facilities. The governor has indicated to the legislature that he will not was not in favor of building another prison. I would ask why No? A new prison could replace the two old ones. It would save lives and allow for more humane treatment of prisoners.

Schmidt also calls for updated and appropriate surveillance technology, increased staff accountability measures, more training and annual inspections.

Governor Tony Evers announced Wednesday that the Evers administration is asking the Dodge County Sheriff's Office not to close its investigation into the Waupun Correctional Institution (WCI) and is instead asking that the investigation remain open while The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) internal investigation and federal law enforcement investigations continue.

The Governor further directs the DOC to continue its ongoing internal investigations into the deaths of persons in the department's custody until the investigation is fully completed, and the Governor further directs the DOC to disclose the results of its internal investigation in Dodge County. Sheriff's Office upon conclusion for further investigation and possible additional charges.

Evers also announced that he is ordering the department to fully disclose the findings of its internal investigation to the extent federal and state laws permit, and at a time when doing so will not hinder or jeopardize ongoing investigations. law enforcement courses.

Governor Evers today released the following statement regarding the charges filed in Dodge County:

“I appreciate the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office for their work in this investigation. Last June, the Department of Corrections and I asked federal law enforcement agencies to help us investigate criminal activity in Waupun, and that investigation continues. From the beginning, I expected the DOC and its staff to fully comply with law enforcement and internal investigations, and that continues to be my expectation.

“Every person who has failed to do their job to the high standard we expect or to treat those in our care with the dignity, humanity and respect they deserve should be held accountable to the fullest extent. measure of the law; It's as simple as that. There must be accountability and justice. And I believe that accountability and justice insist that internal and law enforcement investigations must continue until they are comprehensive and thoroughly completed.

“Today, I am ordering the DOC to continue its ongoing internal investigations to completion, even though the Dodge County Sheriff has indicated that his investigation is complete based on the charges filed in Dodge County today 'today. I further direct the Department to provide the results of its investigations to the Dodge County Sheriff's Office for further investigation and potential charges, if appropriate.

“I also direct the department to disclose the results of its internal investigations in a report that will be made public and in full, to the fullest extent permitted by state and federal law, and at that time it will not impede nor will it jeopardize any ongoing police investigation.

“We have an obligation to ensure the safety of those in our care, officers and staff, and our communities. And the criminal justice system must hold all wrongdoers accountable.

In June 2023, Evers said he and the DOC asked federal law enforcement authorities to conduct an investigation into possible criminal activity at WCI involving a conspiracy to introduce contraband, including phones laptops, illegal drugs and other prohibited items in the institution.

The federal law enforcement investigation continues.

The allegations follow DOC's conduct of several searches of WCI housing during which they identified individuals at the facility who were successfully obtaining contraband. An initial internal investigation by the DOC revealed allegations of potential employee involvement in these illegal activities, including information suggesting financial crimes may have occurred, Evers said in a press release.

Days after that initial investigation concluded and revealed potential employee involvement, and given the multi-jurisdictional nature of the allegations, the Evers administration said it had asked federal law enforcement to “investigate on these allegations and to immediately hold responsible any person participating in the circumvention. state and federal laws.