Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Wisconsin Warden and Eight Staff Charged in Inmate Death Probes
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 9 months ago on
June 5, 2024

The warden and eight staff members of Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin were charged with misconduct and inmate abuse following investigations into four inmate deaths, prompting federal lawsuits and further state and federal investigations. (AP/Morry Gash)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

MADISON, Wis. — The warden of a maximum-security Wisconsin prison and eight members of his staff were charged Wednesday following investigations into the deaths of four inmates over the past year, including one that wasn’t discovered until at least 12 hours after the man died.

Waupun Correctional Institution’s warden, Randall Hepp, is charged with misconduct in public office, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt, who led the investigations, said at a news conference. The other eight face charges of inmate abuse, which is a felony, and three of them — two correctional officers and a correctional sergeant — are also charged with misconduct in public office, he said. All nine had court appearances Wednesday.

“We are operating the oldest prison in the state of Wisconsin in a dangerous and reckless manner,” Schmidt said, referring to the Waupun facility.

One inmate whose death was ruled a homicide had has water turned off for a significant amount of time, was not closely monitored despite refusing to eat, and didn’t have direct contact with a doctor because he was in restrictive housing, Schmidt said. Another inmate who had a stroke was dead in his cell for at least 12 hours before he was found.

Hepp Faces Prison Time

Hepp, who faces up to 3 1/2 years in prison if he’s convicted, announced last week that he planned to retire at the end of June and that Deputy Warden Brad Mlodzik would take over. He said in an email to Waupun staff that he had helped improve “safety and order” at the prison.

“It is amazing to know how far we have come,” Hepp wrote. “We also know we have more to do.”

Three of the four deaths are subject to federal lawsuits, the state Department of Corrections is investigating the prison’s operations, and the governor last year asked the U.S. Department of Justice to get involved.

The first of the four inmates who died, Dean Hoffman, killed himself in solitary confinement last June. Hoffman’s daughter filed a federal lawsuit in February alleging that prison officials failed to provide her father with adequate mental health care and medications.

Tyshun Lemons and Cameron Williams were both found dead at the facility in October. Dodge County Medical Examiner PJ Schoebel said Lemons overdosed on acetyl fentanyl, a potent opioid painkiller, and Williams died of a stroke.

Prisoners Found Dead in Prisons

Donald Maier was found dead at the prison in February. Schmidt said his death was ruled a homicide due to malnutrition and dehydration.

Waupun’s problems don’t end there. Gov. Tony Evers’ office said in March that federal investigators were looking into a suspected smuggling ring involving prison employees.

Evers said Wednesday in reaction to the charges being filed that everyone who failed to do their job will be held accountable.

“There must be accountability and justice,” Evers said in a statement. “And I believe accountability and justice insist that both internal and law enforcement investigations must continue until they have been exhaustively and thoroughly completed.”

Department of Corrections Imposed Lockdowns

The state Department of Corrections imposed a lockdown at Waupun, and at prisons in Green Bay and Stanley last year due to a shortage of guards. Waupun inmates filed a federal lawsuit in October alleging the the conditions amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. That lawsuit is still pending.

Schmidt said he did not believe the lockdown had anything to do with the inmates’ deaths.

Stanley resumed normal operations in November. Movement restrictions have eased at Waupun and Green Bay, but as of the department’s latest update in April, in-person visitation had not resumed at Waupun and recreation time was still limited. Prisoners were being allowed to make phone calls and text using electronic tablets, however.

Waupun is one of five maximum-security prisons in Wisconsin. The facility, built in the 1850s, held 712 inmates as of May 31, according to the state Department of Corrections latest population report. The prison is designed to hold up 882 inmates.

Republican state lawmakers used the filing of charges to renew their calls for Evers to close the prisons in Waupun and Green Bay, which was also built in the 1800s.

“The warden may have been arrested, but the buck doesn’t stop there,” said state Sen. Van Wanggaard, who chairs the Senate committee that oversees the state prison system. “Tony Evers can’t keep his head in the sand anymore.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

DON'T MISS

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

DON'T MISS

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

DON'T MISS

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

DON'T MISS

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

DON'T MISS

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

DON'T MISS

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

DON'T MISS

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

DON'T MISS

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

DON'T MISS

European Detour Destinations Are 2025’s New Travel Trend

UP NEXT

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

UP NEXT

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

UP NEXT

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

UP NEXT

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

UP NEXT

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

UP NEXT

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

UP NEXT

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

UP NEXT

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

UP NEXT

European Detour Destinations Are 2025’s New Travel Trend

UP NEXT

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

5 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

6 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

7 hours ago

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

1 day ago

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

1 day ago

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

1 day ago

European Detour Destinations Are 2025’s New Travel Trend

1 day ago

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

1 day ago

A Former Firefighter in the Legislature Has Ideas. Will Democrats Listen?

1 day ago

Mind-to-Text: How AI Is Learning to Decode Brain Signals Into Sentences

2 days ago

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

BOSTON — The Canadian national anthem was booed, though somewhat tepidly, by the fans at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Monday — apparent payback...

2 hours ago

Team United States fans cheer after their team defeated Canada in a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
2 hours ago

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, boards Air Force Two at the Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Harris might have traveled on Friday to Philadelphia or Milwaukee for the umpteenth time, but motivating tuned-out voters in battleground states required something different. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

Downed trees cover the roadway toward South Jefferson Street from severe weather in downtown Tuscumbia, Ala., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.(Dan Busey/The TimesDaily via AP)
2 hours ago

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

5 hours ago

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

6 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

7 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

1 day ago

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

1 day ago

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend