MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The former warden at a maximum security Wisconsin prison where multiple inmates have died over the last year pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a misconduct charge as legislators intensified their scrutiny of the state's troubled corrections system.
Five inmates have died at Waupun Correctional Institution since June 2023. The latest, Christopher McDonald, was found dead at the facility Monday morning, according to the Dodge County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators believe McDonald killed himself. Online court records indicate a judge sentenced him to two 999-year sentences in 1993 for being a party to homicide.
Prosecutors charged former Waupun Correctional Institute Warden Randall Hepp with felony misconduct in office in June in connection with the deaths of an inmate who died of a stroke in October and another inmate who died in February of malnutrition and dehydration.
Hepp pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Dodge County Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon, according to online records. His attorney, Robert Webb, declined to comment.
Eight other Waupun staff members have been charged with inmate abuse and misconduct in connection with the two deaths. Hepp quit his job days before he was charged.
The other two inmates died by suicide and a drug overdose, respectively. No one has been charged in connection with those deaths, but federal investigators are looking into a suspected smuggling ring at Waupun and a federal lawsuit inmates filed in October alleging inhumane conditions at the prison is still pending.
The compounding problems at Waupun are only part of the Department of Corrections' troubles. While Hepp was entering his plea Tuesday, the state Senate's judiciary committee was grilling top agency leaders about a counselor's death at the state's youth prison.
According to prosecutors, a 16-year-old inmate punched Corey Proulx during a fight at the facility in northern Wisconsin in June, causing Proulx's head to hit the concrete pavement. The boy and a 17-year-old inmate have both been charged in connection with the death.
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.
During a hearing near the prison in Merrill, committee members pressed Corrections Secretary Jared Hoy about how much leeway counselors have to defend themselves, questioning at one point whether Proulx could have used pepper spray on his attacker.
Hoy, wearing a black-and-silver lapel ribbon emblazoned with Proulx’s name, said that the court settlement prohibits pepper spray and limits the use of mechanical restraints. But counselors can use as much force as necessary to protect themselves, he said.
He tried to paint a positive picture of life at the prison, saying counselors have adopted a gentler approach with inmates geared more toward rehabilitation than punishment and relationships with them have improved.
State Sen. Mary Felzkowski, a Republican whose district includes the youth prison, would have none of it. She said staffers feel as if they’re not allowed to defend themselves and fear retribution if they complain.
“We need to find out what went wrong, because we have two lives ended," she said.
She said that she planned to write a letter to U.S. District Judge James Peterson in Madison and ask him to amend the settlement to allow counselors to use pepper spray again.
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.
Republican legislators have been blasting Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' administration for years over chronic guard shortages at Wisconsin's prisons and have been pushing him to close an aging maximum security prison in Green Bay.
Evers has upped guard salaries in an attempt to generate more hires but has refused to entertain closing the Green Bay facility, saying he won't consider it without a broader plan to find places to house those inmates.
This story has been updated to correct the name of the maximum security prison. The prison is the Waupun Correctional Institution, not the Waupun Correctional Institute.
FILE - The Waupun Correctional Institution is seen Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Waupan, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
MEDIA, Pa. (AP) — John and Matthew Gaudreau are being mourned by family, friends and countless members of the hockey community at their funeral Monday in a Philadelphia suburb.
Buses brought players and others to St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pennsylvania, and dozens of others walked in for the service, including several children wearing Gaudreau No. 13 jerseys worn by the player known to fans as “Johnny Hockey.” Columbus Blue Jackets teammate Patrik Laine, Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and longtime executive Brian Burke were among those in attendance.
“It just shows the true honor and respect that everybody gave them. Just can’t imagine what they’re going through," said Caufield, who will wear No. 13 in honor of John Gaudreau, known “Johnny Hockey” to fans and many others. "Just the amount of people that are here today and yesterday, just anything we can do to help.”
The Gaudreau brothers died Aug. 29 when they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey. John, an All-Star for the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matthew, who played collegiate hockey alongside his brother at Boston College, died on the eve of their sister’s wedding.
They have been mourned across the sports world, including Columbus, Ohio, where Gaudreau signed a free-agent deal in 2022 with the small-market Blue Jackets over more lucrative free-agent offers from other teams, including the New Jersey Devils. Fans and Blue Jackets players gathered last week for an emotional candlelight vigil, and a similar gathering was held in Calgary.
“The way they carried themselves around campus and the enjoyment that they had each and every day around the guys, they were really fun to be around,” Boston College associate coach Mike Ayers said. “They were both very, very talented hockey players, but they were great people to be around and made everything around them fun.”
A GoFundMe for Matthew’s widow, Madeline, to support her and their baby due in December, has surpassed $645,000, with donations from nearly 9,000 people pouring in, many from NHL players and their families.
“He didn’t make the millions that Johnny did and doesn’t have the pension from the Players’ Association,” said Michael Myers of the ECHL’s Worcester Railers, for whom Matthew played two seasons. “It’s important that the hockey community recognizes that and embraces that to help Matthew’s family.”
The Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township at about 8 p.m. when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind, according to New Jersey State Police. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
“It’s tough for everybody around here," Caufield said outside the church Monday. “Just being here and being around and supporting the family, doing anything we can do, it’s obviously a really tough time. It doesn’t feel real yet.”
Police said the driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and faces two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. He has been jailed pending a Sept. 13 hearing.
The brothers have been celebrated on various social media platforms since their deaths. Katie Gaudreau, the little sister who was supposed to get married the day after the brothers were killed, posted pictures of her family in happier times on social media.
Over the weekend, it was an Instagram video captioned “Birds for the Gaudreau boys" over a clip of John Gaudreau opening his winter coat to flash an Eagles jersey as he went through security ahead of an NHL game. She also posted a tribute to a family slideshow called “That day” where she wrote how she would “do anything to tell my big brothers I love them one more time.”
Devin Joyce, the would-be groom and a former collegiate hockey player, wrote of his promise “to take the absolute best care of your little sister.”
He added: “I know I never said it but I loved you guys so much. I'm so lucky to have called you two my brothers for as long as I did.”
Whyno reported from Washington.
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Mourners arrive for a funeral for Columbus Blue Jackets hockey player John Gaudreau and his brother Matthew Gaudreau at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Pa., Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A memorial for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who died last week when they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles, is shown in Salem County, N.J, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024.(Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Shown is a makeshift memorial for NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew who were killed by a suspected drunken driver as they bicycled on a rural road, Sept. 5, 2024, in Oldmans Township , N.J., Thursday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Fans attend a vigil for former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Columbus Blue Jackets player Cole Sillinger, center, reacts during the candlelight vigil to honor Columbus Blue Jackets hockey player Johnny Gaudreau, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2024, outside of Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a motor vehicle last week while riding bicycles. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)
Shiloh Rivera, left, mourns with Hylas Stemen, center, and Amanda Rivera of Columbus, at a memorial set up by fans for Blue Jackets hockey player Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2024. Gaudreau, along with his brother Matthew, was fatally struck by a motorist while riding his bicycle on Thursday. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)
A tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau is seen before a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
FILE - Quinnipiac goalie Michael Garteig (34) makes the save on a shot by Boston College forward Matthew Gaudreau (21) during the first period of an NCAA Frozen Four semifinal NCAA college hockey game Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
Hylas Stemen, facing, of Columbus, hugs Dave Fetzer at a memorial set up by fans for Blue Jackets hockey player Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2024. Gaudreau, along with his brother Matthew, was fatally struck by a motorist while riding his bicycle on Thursday. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)
FILE - Unted States' Johnny Gaudreau, right, challenges for a puck with Latvia's Janis Jaks during the preliminary round match between Latvia and United States at the Ice Hockey World Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, file)
Boston College NCAA college hockey player Johnny Gaudreau celebrates his goal against Notre Dame during the third period of quarterfinal round match at the Hockey East Tournament in Chestnut Hill, Mass., March 15, 2014. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via AP)
Flowers and memorabilia for former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew lie on the grass outside the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
Fans attend a vigil for former Calgary Flames player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthewin Calgary, Alberta, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE - Columbus Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau (13) awaits the face-off during an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster, file)
