Sheriff: Warden and Guards Arrested as Investigation Uncovers Widespread Abuse
These investigations have revealed a flagrant disrespect for human safety, and arrests must and have been made,” Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt stated during a news conference.
Two other convicts died, one by suicide and the other from fentanyl intoxication, according to the sheriff, although their actions did not constitute criminal behavior. Randall Hepp, warden of the Waupun Correctional Institution in the same-named community some 55 miles northwest of Milwaukee, is among the nine charged.
Hepp and three other correctional officers, Jamall Russel, Sarah Ransbottom, and Jeramie Chalker, were arrested on a charge of misconduct in public office, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Russell, registered nurses Gwendolyn Peachey and Jessica Hosfelt, as well as correctional Lt. Brandon Fisher, correctional Sgt. Tanner Leopold, and correctional Sgt. Alexander Hollfelder was all arrested on charges of abusing inmates. Most of them face a single count, while Fisher faces two.
Cameron Williams, an inmate who was discovered 12 hours after his death and died on Oct. 30 while in restricted housing, was one of the two people charged, according to the sheriff’s office. His death was determined to be caused by a stroke and occurred naturally, according to the office.
The other was Donald Maier, who died from starvation on February 22. Schmidt stated that his death was declared a homicide, with the primary cause being starvation and dehydration.
“As the sheriff I am angered by how these men were treated, and how they died,” Schmidt stated.
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There were no criminal charges filed in the deaths of Tyshun Lemons, who died of fentanyl intoxication on October 2, and Dean Hoffman, who committed suicide on January 29, 2023. Schmidt stated that while there were policy infractions surrounding Hoffman’s death, they did not constitute a crime.
Jared Hoy, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, stated that neither the department nor the state would provide legal representation to any of the nine people indicted.
“At this time, all nine of these individuals against whom criminal charges have now been filed are either no longer employed at the department or are on unpaid administrative leave,” added the statement.
According to Hoy, the Department of Corrections had also been investigating, and everyone charged except for the warden “were either under ongoing DOC internal investigation or had been placed on administrative leave or terminated based upon DOC’s internal investigations.”
An attorney listed in court records for Hepp did not immediately return a voicemail seeking comment Wednesday evening. According to court documents, a $1,000 bond has been issued, and Hepp’s review hearing is scheduled for July 3.
Hosfelt’s attorney, Dan Kaminsky, said he needs to consult with his client before commenting on the matter, but he plans to submit a motion contesting whether there is probable cause that Hosfelt did anything unlawful.
Emails and voicemails left for attorneys in the majority of the other cases for which counsel was listed in records were likewise not promptly replied to.
According to the state’s most recent prison statistics sheet for the fiscal year 2023, Waupun Correctional Institution has around 1,001 inmates. That year, there were 432 people on staff.