Nine Wisconsin corrections officers, including the warden of a maximum-security prison, have been arrested on charges in the deaths of two inmates that the sheriff said showed a “blatant disregard for human safety.”
Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said one of two inmates at Waupun Correctional Institution lay dead in his cell for 12 hours before his death was discovered — and before that, even after he collapsed, staff skipped rounds to preserve his health. check and a nurse decided without visiting him that no medical mention was necessary.
Another inmate died of dehydration and malnutrition, and an investigation found that officers in his restricted unit failed to feed him nine of 12 meals over the course of four days, Schmidt said.
“These investigations have shown a blatant disregard for people’s safety, and arrests must be made and have been made,” Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said at a news conference.
Two other inmates also died, one by suicide and one by fentanyl poisoning, the sheriff said, but the behavior did not rise to the level of criminal activity.
The nine defendants include Randall Hepp, warden of the Waupun Correctional Institution, located in the city of the same name, about 60 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
Hepp and three other correctional officers — Jamall Russel, Sarah Ransbottom and Jeramie Chalker — were arrested on charges of misconduct in public office, the sheriff’s office said.
Russell, as well as registered nurses Gwendolyn Peachey and Jessica Hosfelt, and correctional lieutenant Brandon Fisher, correctional sergeant. Tanner Leopold and Correctional Sgt. Alexander Hollfelder, were also arrested for abusing correctional facility residents. Most of them face one count, but Fisher faces two.
The two people whose deaths resulted in criminal charges were Cameron Williams, the inmate found 12 hours after his death who died Oct. 30 while in restricted housing, the sheriff’s office said. His death was ruled a stroke and occurred naturally, the office said.
The other was Donald Maier, who died of malnutrition on February 22. His death was ruled a homicide, mainly due to malnutrition and dehydration, Schmidt said.
“As sheriff, I am angry about the way these men were treated and how they died,” Schmidt said.
There were no criminal charges in the deaths of Tyshun Lemons, who died of fentanyl poisoning on October 2, and Dean Hoffman, who died by suicide on January 29, 2023. Schmidt said there were policy violations surrounding Hoffman’s death, but that was the case. does not rise to the level of a crime.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections Secretary Jared Hoy said in a statement that neither the department nor the state would provide legal representation to any of the nine people charged.
“At this time, all nine individuals now facing criminal charges are no longer employed by the department or are on unpaid administrative leave,” the statement said.
The Department of Corrections had also investigated, Hoy said, and all of the accused, except the warden, “were either under an ongoing DOC internal investigation or had been placed on administrative leave or dismissed based on the DOC’s internal investigations.”
An attorney listed in Hepp’s lawsuits did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment Wednesday evening. Court records show a $1,000 bond has been set and Hepp has a review hearing scheduled for July 3.
Hosfelt’s attorney, Dan Kaminsky, said he had to consult with his client before commenting on the case, but he said he planned to file a motion challenging whether there is probable cause that Hosfelt has done something wrong.
Emails and voicemails left with attorneys in most of the other cases for which counsel appeared in the docket were also not immediately returned.
Waupun Correctional Institution had approximately 1,001 inmates at the time of the state’s most recent prison fact sheet for fiscal year 2023. Its staff that year was 432.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
