The Waupun Correctional Institution on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, in Waupun, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
WAUPUN, WI (WSAU) – The warden of the Waupun Correctional Institution is finding himself in legal trouble as the Department of Corrections is set to announce findings in their investigation regarding deaths at the facility over the last year.
According to the Associated Press and jail documents confirmed by 12 News, Waupun Warden Randall Hepp was booked into Dodge County Jail on Wednesday at 8:20 a.m., according to online records. The records did not provide any additional information but in a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Dodge County Sherriff Dale Schmitt announced that Hepp faces charges of misconduct in public office.
Sherriff Schmitt further stated that the other eight officials involved in the investigation face felony charges of inmate abuse, and three of the eight — two correctional officers and a correctional sergeant — are also facing charges of misconduct in public office. All nine defendants had court appearances on Wednesday.
Hepp announced his resignation last week from the facility in an email that was obtained by 12 News, which stated, “The decision, which was not easy, comes at a time that I believe serves the institution well,” and 30-year-old deputy warden Brad Mlodzik will take over the position at the end of June.
The Associated Press stated that they were initially informed by state Senator Van Wanggaard, who is the chairman of the state Senate Committee that oversees prisons, that Warden Hepp and an unknown number of individuals who formerly and currently work at the facility would be taken into custody and prosecuted for offenses connected to four deaths at the facility since last summer.
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