MADISON, Wis. — The warden of a maximum-security prison in Wisconsin was jailed Wednesday hours before a scheduled news conference where officials planned to discuss the findings of investigations into multiple deaths at the prison.
Waupun Correctional Institution Warden Randall Hepp was booked into the Dodge County Jail around 8:20 a.m., online jail records show. The documents provide no further details about why he was imprisoned or what charges he faces.
But state Sen. Van Wanggaard told The Associated Press that the warden and numerous other people will be arrested and charged with crimes related to their work at the prison. Wanggaard said he was briefed on the developments on Tuesday by Jared Hoy, head of the state Department of Corrections. Wanggaard chairs the Senate committee that oversees prisons.
Wanggaard said he did not know how many people would be charged or what the charges would be, other than the fact that at least some of the charges would be misdemeanors.
In a letter to the sheriff dated Wednesday and obtained by AP, Hoy said more than 20 people remain under internal investigation, at least eight are on administrative leave and nine others have been fired or retired since the Department of Corrections began investigating a year ago. .
None of those people were charged Wednesday in Dodge County based on a list the sheriff provided, Hoy wrote in the letter. Also, more people are being placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues, meaning it’s possible others could be considered relevant to the sheriff’s investigation, Hoy said.
Given the ongoing investigation, Hoy asked the sheriff to keep his investigation open and share all his findings to date “as soon as possible and without further delay.”
Hepp announced on May 28 that he planning to retire at the end of June and that deputy director Brad Mlodzik would take over. Hepp said in an email to Waupun staff that he had helped improve “safety and order” at the prison.
“It’s amazing to know how far we’ve come,” Hepp wrote. “We also know we have more to do.”
Dodge County Jail Sgt. Chad Riter said Hepp’s attorney visited the director, but Riter did not know the attorney’s name. Riter did not immediately respond to a follow-up message asking if it would be possible to talk to Hepp and for details about why he was in jail.
Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt planned to hold a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss investigations his office has conducted into the deaths of multiple inmates in Waupun. He said in an email that no information would be released before the event.
Four inmates have died at Waupun since June 2023, when Dean Hoffman committed suicide in solitary confinement. 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 factory in October. Dodge County Medical Examiner PJ Schoebel said Lemons overdosed on acetylfentanyl, a powerful opioid painkiller, and Williams died of a stroke.
Donald Maier was found dead in prison in February. Authorities have not released any details about that death.
Waupun’s problems don’t end there. Gov. Tony Evers’ office said in March that federal investigators were on the case investigation into a suspected smuggling gang involving prison staff.
At the time, the governor’s spokesman, Britt Cudaback, said searches of Waupun homes revealed people in jail were in possession of prohibited items, such as cell phones and illegal drugs. An initial investigation by the Department of Corrections uncovered allegations that prison officials were involved, including information indicating “financial crimes” had occurred, she said.
At least eleven prison employees have been suspended in connection with that investigation.
The state Department of Corrections imposed a lockdown in Waupun, and last year in prisons in Green Bay and Stanley due to guard shortages. Waupun prisoners has filed a federal lawsuit in October alleged that the conditions amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. That lawsuit is still ongoing.
Stanley resumed normal operations in November. Movement restrictions have been relaxed in Waupun and Green Bay, but as of the department’s last update in April, in-person visitation had not resumed in Waupun and recreation time was still limited. However, prisoners were allowed to make calls and send text messages using electronic tablets.
Waupun is one of five maximum security prisons in Wisconsin. The facility, built in the 1850s, housed 712 inmates as of May 31, according to the latest population report from the state Department of Corrections. The prison is designed to house 882 inmates.
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Associated Press reporter Scott Bauer contributed to this report.