Waupun prison deaths; 5 inmates die, former warden appears in court

WAUPUN, Wis. - A fifth inmate died at a maximum security Wisconsin prison as the former warden who was there when four others died was scheduled to make a court appearance Tuesday after being charged in June with misconduct in public office.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the Monday death of 57-year-old Waupun Correctional Institution inmate Christopher McDonald. The sheriff's department said the death, reported by the prison on Monday morning, appears to have been suicide.

"The initial investigation also shows that at the time of discovery, staff responded rapidly and appropriately, providing medical aid in an effort to save the inmate’s life," the sheriff's department said in its release. Sheriff Dale Schmidt said Tuesday he had no additional information to share.

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Online court records indicate McDonald was sentenced in Waukesha County in 1993 to 999 years in prison on one count of being a party to first-degree intentional homicide, 999 years on a second count of being a party to first-degree intentional homicide and 16 years on one count of being a party to robbery as a habitual criminal. The records do not indicate if McDonald was ordered to serve his sentences consecutively or simultaneously.

Department of Corrections spokesperson Kevin Hoffman said no other information about the latest inmate death, which remains under investigation, was available.

Former warden Randall Hepp was scheduled to be arraigned in Dodge County Circuit Court on one felony charge of misconduct in office following an earlier investigation by the sheriff's department.

Hepp and eight members of his staff were charged with various felonies in June, including misconduct and inmate abuse, in connection with two inmates’ deaths at the prison since last year. One of the inmates died of a stroke and the other died of dehydration, according to court documents.

Hepp retired in June. No one has been charged in connection to the other two inmate deaths within the past year at Waupun.

Monday's death came as lawmakers are stepping up pressure on the state prison system. Families of inmates and former prison workers previously urged lawmakers at a July hearing to fix what they said were systemic problems in Wisconsin’s prison system.

Addressing the issues

Pastor Darren Utley is a member of the Stop the Torture Coalition, a group that advocates for reform in local prisons.

"From what I hear about the conditions, I’m just surprised it’s not more," Utley said. "We’re still dealing with continued issues that need to be addressed."

He said one of the biggest issues is overpopulation.

"It leads to these lockdowns, it leads to staff shortages, it leads to conditions that are not ideal," Utley said.

The state Senate's judiciary committee convened a hearing Tuesday near the state's youth prison in Lincoln County to examine how counselor Corey Proulx died during a fight at the facility in June.

According to court documents, Proulx hit his head on concrete pavement after a 16-year-old boy imprisoned at the facility punched him. The boy and another 17-year-old teen have been charged in connection with the fight.

Improving conditions?

The juvenile prison has been under intense scrutiny for years amid abuse allegations and lawsuits by people incarcerated there. In 2017, the state paid more than $25 million to settle a lawsuit and a federal judge appointed a monitor to oversee conditions at the facility. The monitor, who continues to report on conditions at the prison, has said the situation is improving.

Department of Corrections Secretary Jared Hoy, wearing a black-and-silver lapel ribbon emblazoned with Proulx's name, told the committee that he couldn't say much about Proulx's death in light of the charges against the teens and an ongoing internal investigation.

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Hoy did say he has been visiting the prison weekly since Proulx's death.

The staff has adopted a gentler approach with inmates and their relationships with them have been improving, he said, but the youth have been traumatized and staff can face "high-stress and unpredictable situations" when they're dealing with them.

State Sen. Mary Felzkowski, a Republican whose district includes the youth prison, would have none of it. She said staffers feel they're not allowed to defend themselves and fear retribution if they complain.

"I want to stick to the true reason we're here. We have a young man the system failed. Now he's killed a man and he will probably never see the light of day again," she said. "His life is over. And we have a dead youth counselor. We need to find out what went wrong. Because we have two lives ended."

Once Hepp’s court appearance was over, FOX6 News tracked him down in the hallway, asking for comment on the situation. He did not reply.

He is due back in court on Monday, Sept. 30.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.