Fifth inmate dies at Wisconsin prison as former warden set to appear in court on misconduct charge

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — 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.

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.

A Senate committee planned to hear from the head of the state prison system at a hearing Tuesday near the Lincoln Hills juvenile prison, where a guard was killed in June. Department of Corrections Secretary Jared Hoy is scheduled to testify, along with former prison guards and families of inmates.

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.

A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections did not respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday on the latest 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 Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake. The monitor, who continues to report on conditions at the prison, has said the situation has been improving.

Two teenagers imprisoned at the Lincoln Hills juvenile facility — one 16-year-old and one 17-year-old — have been charged in connection with a June 24 fight that left counselor Corey Proulx, 49, dead. According to the criminal complaints, one of the inmates punched Proulx, who fell and hit his head on concrete pavement.