Current:Home > InvestWisconsin prison warden quits amid lockdown, federal smuggling investigation -Elite Financial Minds
Wisconsin prison warden quits amid lockdown, federal smuggling investigation
View
Date:2025-04-18 20:12:51
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The warden at a troubled Wisconsin prison has resigned amid lockdown conditions, an ongoing federal investigation and multiple inmate deaths.
Waupun Correctional Institution Warden Randall Hepp announced his resignation on Tuesday, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The newspaper obtained an email Hepp sent to prison staff in which he wrote his decision wasn’t easy but he believes it will serve the institution well. He added that the prison has moved closer toward improving safety.
No one immediately responded to an email The Associated Press sent to state Department of Corrections media officials and Gov. Tony Evers spokesperson, Britt Cudaback on Sunday morning seeking comment.
Brad Mlodzik, who previously worked as deputy warden at Waupun, will take over as warden there on June 30, the State Journal reported.
A chronic lack of guards forced the state Department of Corrections to institute a lockdown at Waupun as well as at prisons in Green Bay and Stanley. Waupun inmates filed a federal lawsuit in October alleging the conditions amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. That lawsuit is still pending. Stanley resumed normal operations in late November. Movement restrictions have eased at Waupun and Green Bay, but some remain in place.
Cudaback, Evers’ spokesperson, said in March that federal authorities are investigating an apparent smuggling ring involving Waupun Correctional employees. She said then that multiple sweeps of the prison revealed people were obtaining prohibited items such as cellphones and illegal drugs. At least 11 prison employees have been suspended since May 2023 in connection with the probe.
Four inmates have died at Waupun since June 2023. One killed himself 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 remains under investigation. The daughter of the inmate who killed himself in solitary confinement has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Waupun officials failed to provide him with adequate mental health care and medication.
Hepp took over as warden at Waupun in May 2020. He began his career in the state prison system in 1984 as a guard at Dodge Correctional Institution.
veryGood! (4125)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Get Your Mane Back on Track With the Best Hair Growth Products for Thinning Hair
- Mosquitoes surprise researcher with their 'weird' sense of smell
- New York counties gear up to fight a polio outbreak among the unvaccinated
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Patrick Mahomes' Brother Jackson Mahomes Arrested for Alleged Aggravated Sexual Battery
- Amazon's Limited-Time Pet Day Sale Has the Best Pet Deals to Shop From
- Today’s Climate: May 19, 2010
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Queen Charlotte's Tunji Kasim Explains How the Show Mirrors Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Story
Ranking
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Bachelor Nation's Peter Weber Confirms Kelley Flanagan Break Up Less Than a Year After Reuniting
- Go Behind-the-Scenes of Brittany Mahomes’ Met Gala Prep With Her Makeup Artist
- This Self-Tan Applicator Makes It Easy To Get Hard To Reach Spots and It’s on Sale for $6
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- ‘People Are Dying’: Puerto Rico Faces Daunting Humanitarian Crisis
- Kourtney Kardashian's Stepdaughter Alabama Barker Claps Back at Makeup and Age Comments
- Scotland becomes the first country to offer tampons and pads for free, officials say
Recommendation
Trump's 'stop
Today’s Climate: May 6, 2010
Today’s Climate: April 30, 2010
Trump Nominee to Lead Climate Agency Supported Privatizing U.S. Weather Data
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
New Hampshire Utility’s Move to Control Green Energy Dollars is Rebuffed
Dr. Anthony Fauci Steps Away
Vanderpump Rules' Explosive Teaser Shows Tom Sandoval & Raquel Leviss Together Again