MADISON, Wis. — The warden of a troubled Wisconsin prison has resigned lockdown conditionsa continuous one federal investigation and the deaths of several prisoners.
Waupun Correctional Institution Warden Randall Hepp announced his resignation Tuesday. The Wisconsin State Journal reports this. The newspaper obtained an email Hepp sent to prison staff in which he wrote that his decision was not an easy one, but he believes it will serve the institution well. He added that the prison has moved closer to improving security.
No one immediately responded to an email that The Associated Press sent Sunday morning to state Department of Corrections media officials and Gov. Tony Evers’ spokesman Britt Cudaback seeking comment.
Brad Mlodzik, who previously served as deputy director at Waupun, will take over as director there on June 30, the State Journal reported.
A chronic lack of guards forced the state Department of Corrections to close Waupun as well as prisons in Green Bay and Stanley. Waupun inmates filed a federal lawsuit in October claiming that the conditions amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. That lawsuit is still ongoing. Stanley resumed normal operations in late November. Restrictions on movement have been relaxed in Waupun and Green Bay, but some remain in effect.
Cudaback, Evers’ spokesman, said in March that federal authorities were investigating an apparent trafficking ring involving Waupun Correctional employees. She said at the time that multiple searches of the prison showed people in possession of prohibited items, such as cell phones and illegal drugs. At least eleven prison employees have been suspended since May 2023 in connection with the investigation.
Since June 2023, four inmates have died in Waupun. One committed suicide in solitary confinement, one died of a fentanyl overdose and another died of a stroke. The fourth inmate was found dead at the facility in February. His death is still under investigation. The daughter of the inmate who committed suicide in solitary confinement has filed a federal lawsuit claiming Waupun officials failed to provide him with adequate mental health care and medication.
Hepp took over as director of Waupun in May 2020. He began his career in the state prison system in 1984 as a guard at Dodge Correctional Institution.