Waupun Correctional Institution has had four COVID-19-related inmate deaths.
For the first time Monday, the state Department of Corrections revealed which state prisons have had COVID-19-related inmate deaths after refusing for months to disclose that information.
DOC had previously reported only a running total of COVID-19 deaths with no information on where they happened.
So far, 12 of DOC’s 36 adult correctional facilities have had at least one death from COVID-19. A total of 25 inmates have died.
Oshkosh Correctional Institution and Waupun Correctional Institution have the most deaths, each with four COVID-19-related inmate deaths since the pandemic began.
DOC reports inmate deaths as COVID-19-related after a medical examiner or coroner confirms that the virus was an underlying cause of death or a significant condition that contributed to death.
More prisoners may have already died from COVID-19, but they won’t be added to DOC’s data dashboard until authorities confirm it — which can take weeks or even months.
The new data still does not include when the deaths occurred. The number of inmate hospitalizations due to COVID-19 has also not been released.
The Wisconsin State Journal requested records back in October that would have revealed which prisons have had deaths. The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin has also been asking DOC for COVID-19 death data for months, along with the number of inmates who have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. Those records requests have not yet been returned.
“The urgency of the Department addressing these issues is literally a matter of life and death,” ACLU staff attorney Tim Muth said in a Dec. 14 email to the DOC, urging release of more data.
When asked why it took so long to release information on the deaths broken down by prison facility, DOC provided a statement from DOC Secretary Kevin Carr. DOC “regularly reviews its response to COVID-19,” including what is reported on its data dashboard, Carr said.
“Our agency has and continues to strive for transparency while also maintaining the appropriate levels of privacy for staff and those in our care,” Carr said.
All of the prisons that have had coronavirus-related deaths have had massive outbreaks with hundreds of cases among prisoners.
Oshkosh, for instance, has had a total of 1,029 COVID-19 cases among inmates since the pandemic began, and Waupun has had 719.
Stanley Correctional Institution and Redgranite Correctional Institution have each had three COVID-19 deaths among prisoners. Stanley has had 365 COVID-19 cases, while Redgranite has had 360.
Racine Correctional Institution, Fox Lake Correctional Institution and Dodge Correctional Institution have had two coronavirus-related inmate deaths each.
Racine Correctional/Sturtevant Transitional Facility has had the largest outbreak in the entire state prison system with 1,168 total cases. Sturtevant is a small unit of Racine Correctional and is located adjacent to the larger prison.
Fox Lake has had the third-largest outbreak and Dodge the fifth, with 893 cases and 724 cases, respectively.
Five prisons — Kettle Moraine, Oakhill, Green Bay, Prairie du Chien and Taycheedah correctional institutions — have had one COVID-19-related inmate death.
Across all DOC facilities, a total of 10,543 inmates have been infected with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, as of Monday — well over half of the state prison population.
But for the past month or so, cases have been rising at a much slower rate than when massive outbreaks were occurring back in the fall. Since Friday, just two new COVID-19 cases have been added to DOC’s data dashboard, and active cases have dropped to 146.
Shootings and death investigations top recent notable crime news in south-central Wisconsin
Female in 'critical condition' after being shot on East Side, Madison police say
A female was in critical condition after being shot Sunday evening on the East Side, Madison police said.
Officers responded to multiple reports of someone having been shot at the intersection of Eagan Road and Lien Road at about 7 p.m., Lt. Eugene Woehrle said in a statement.
Arriving officers found a female who had been shot while in her vehicle, Woehrle said. The shots came from another vehicle.
Man shot in stomach on South Side, 35 shell casings recovered on Southwest Side, Madison police say
A man was shot in the stomach on the South Side, and 35 shell casings were recovered on the Southwest Side in a pair of shootings on Friday, Madison police reported.
Shortly before 10 a.m. on New Year’s Day, police responded to a local hospital on a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the stomach, police spokesman Tyler Grigg said in a report.
Woman who had been painting outdoor scene found dead in Fox River, Green Lake County authorities say
A woman who had been painting an outdoor scene was found dead in the Fox River in the town of St. Marie on Saturday, the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported.
At about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, a 911 caller reported that they could not find a 35-year-old woman who was outdoors with her two dogs near the Fox River off of Huckleberry Road, Chief Deputy Sheriff Matthew L. Vande Kolk said in a report.
The woman’s hat was located on ice at the edge of the river near where she had been painting an outdoor scene, Vande Kolk said.
Authorities identify Madison man found dead in Far East Side park
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday released the name of a man whose body was found Dec. 26 in Reindahl Park on the Far East Side of Madison, but did not specify his cause of death.
Chase Strunk, 30, of Madison, was found dead in the 1800 block of Portage Road just before 8:40 a.m., the medical examiner’s office said. He was found at the bottom of a small hill near the bike path.
It’s still unclear how Strunk died. The medical examiner’s office usually releases a tentative cause of death with preliminary autopsy results, but none was released Monday.
Names of dead in town of Sun Prairie murder-suicide released
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the name of a woman and the man who shot her to death on Dec. 28 before turning the gun on himself.
Jessica L. Ewers, 44, and James T. Budworth, 45, were found dead after police were called to the home they shared in the 4600 block of Pierceville Road, just north of Cottage Grove, about 3:20 p.m. Budworth had been charged two months before with beating Ewers and had been free on a signature bond, meaning he didn’t have to post cash to be released.
22-year-old charged with sex assault after allegedly luring 12-year-old girl to park
A 22-year-old Oregon man was charged Tuesday with enticement and first-degree sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl he met in a county park early Monday.
A Dane County sheriff’s deputy found Jacan L. Flores alone in his parked car as the deputy was driving through Fish Camp County Park in the town of Dunn about 1 a.m. Monday. The park had closed to the public at 10 p.m., according to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court.
Flores said he was there because he had had an argument with his girlfriend and had driven there “to blow off some steam,” the complaint states.
Authorities identify woman who died in double collision on Highway 51 in town of Dunn
The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday released the identity of the woman who died in a double collision in the town of Dunn on Monday.
Jill A. Miller, 64, of Stoughton, died after being taken to a hospital after her car was hit by two different vehicles on Highway 51 at Rutland-Dunn Town Line Road at around 3:25 p.m. Monday, the Medical Examiner's Office said.
2 more inmates die from COVID-19 in Wisconsin prison system; 25 total dead
Two more inmates have died from COVID-19 in Wisconsin’s prison system, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related inmate deaths to 25, the state Department of Corrections reported Thursday.
The new deaths come as more than half of DOC’s roughly 20,000 prisoners have now been infected.
DOC reports inmate deaths as COVID-19-related after a medical examiner or coroner confirms that the virus was an underlying cause of death or a significant condition that contributed to death — a determination that can take weeks or months.
1 man charged with stealing police rifle, other with taking the head of Hans Christian Heg, during protests
Two men were charged Friday for their alleged roles in separate incidents on different nights of protest in Downtown Madison last summer — one for allegedly stealing the still-missing head of the Col. Hans Christian Heg statue, the other for the theft of a police rifle.
A criminal complaint charged Rodney A. Clendening, 34, of Beloit, with felony theft after police said they identified him as the driver of a car into which the head of the abolitionist statue was placed on June 23, after a group of people, using another vehicle to assist them, pulled down the statue of Heg during a destructive night Downtown.
Green County Sheriff's Office, Albany police asking for help finding missing newborn
The Green County Sheriff's Office and the Albany Police Department are asking for the public's help finding a missing newborn.
The baby girl born on Tuesday at a residence in the village of Albany was taken from the residence by a man later identified as being the father of the child, Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud and Albany Police Chief Robert Ritter said in a joint statement Saturday. The father told officers he then gave the newborn girl to an "unidentified third party," and she has not been seen since.
The individual who reportedly took the newborn is said to be an acquaintance of the girl's father and driving a gray Chevrolet Equinox.
Update: Missing Albany infant found dead, authorities say
An infant reported missing in Albany was found dead in southern Wisconsin Sunday.
The baby girl, born on Tuesday at a residence in the village of Albany, was reported missing Saturday. She was taken from the residence by a man later identified as being the father of the child, Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud and Albany Police Chief Robert Ritter said in a joint statement Saturday.
The father told officers he then gave the newborn girl to an "unidentified third party," and she had not been seen since.
