Marathon County Sheriff. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a suspected fentanyl distributor, taking more than 1,000 doses of the dangerous drug off the street.
According to a press release officers attempted to stop Jacob L. Gould on Interstate 39 in the southern part of the county last week. Gould refused to comply and a short chase began. Officers were able to arrest him after he fled his vehicle on foot.
Officers found more than 100 grams of fentanyl on Gould along with a small amount of methamphetamine. They then obtained a search warrant for his home in Weston and found THC, cocaine, and more meth and fentanyl.
Investigations Captain Jeff Stefonek says a bust like this impacts the entire community. “We believe most of the product he was bringing back here was being distributed here. Obviously, this is a significant amount and we hope it will have a great impact on the amount of fentanyl and other drugs being distributed in this area.”
Stefonek says fentanyl has taken over as the dominant drug in Marathon County which isn’t good considering its potency. Those who aren’t used to it or who have been incarcerated and recently released have been overdosing at a high rate, which often leads to death or other serious consequences.
All told the drugs seized carry a street value of over $40,000. Stefonek adds that while four different drugs were seized, officers do consider the fentanyl haul to be the biggest victory in the incident. He also noted that arresting a convicted felon in possession of a handgun is also significant.
Gould is in custody in the Marathon County Jail and is now facing eleven charges including possession of fentanyl, meth, THC, and cocaine along with possession with intent to distribute. He will also face charges for maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of drug paraphernalia, and fleeing/eluding an officer.
Stefonek says federal charges are also possible.
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