WAUPUN, Wis. — Nine employees including the Warden of the Waupun Correctional Institution, a state prison, were arrested in connection with four prison deaths since June 29, 2023. Waupun native and Mayor Rohn Bishop doesn’t feel the full story is being told.
In addition to penning a public column holding the Department of Corrections and state leadership accountable, Mayor Bishop joined Kristin Brey and Brian Noonan on Spanning the State to expound on his stance and defend his hometown, reluctantly nicknamed ‘The Prison City.’
“When you drive by Waupun, you probably say ‘Hey, that’s where the prison is,’ but for those of us who live in Waupun, the prisons are part of our community,” Mayor Bishop said. “We’ve had generations after generations of families who worked in corrections or as correctional officers. It’s just a big part of who we are.”
In addition to the Waupun Correctional Institution, Mayor Bishop says the city is home to various Department of Corrections facilities and two other prisons: John C. Burke Correctional Center and the Dodge Correctional Institute. It’s become an integral and accepted part of the community, Mayor Bishop explained:
“If you ever go to Waupun and look at the prison, it’s surrounded by houses on all sides. It’s next door to the Waupun Public Library. My kids’ daycare is in the backyard. When my girls are riding their bike down the street and there’s prisoners out mowing the lawn, they’re not afraid.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Nine people including Waupun warden arrested in connection to four in-custody deaths
As announced by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, the following correctional employees were arrested for Abuse of Residents of Penal Facilities, a Class 1 Felony:
- Gwendolyn Peachey (Vick) – Age 50 of Burnett – Registered Nurse
- Brandon Fisher – Age 29 of Fox Lake – Correctional Lieutenant – 2 Counts
- Tanner Leopold – Age 27 of Waupun – Correctional Sergeant
- Jamall Russel – Age 39 of Beaver Dam – Correctional Officer
- Alexander Hollfelder – Age 31 of Waupun – Correctional Sergeant
- Jessica Hosfelt – Age 47 of Oshkosh – Registered Nurse
The following individuals were arrested for Misconduct in Public Office, another Class 1 Felony:
- Jamall Russel – Age 39 of Beaver Dam – Correctional Officer
- Sarah Ransbottom – Age 35 of Oshkosh – Correctional Officer
- Jeramie Chalker – Age 41 of Brandon – Correctional Sergeant
- Randall Hepp – Waupun Correctional Institution Warden
These charges came in connection to only two of the four inmate deaths in the past year. However, Mayor Bishop remains confident this is the byproduct of a larger institutional issue, including a lack of cooperation from the state and some political posturing.
“Now, all of these elected officials that are all running in front of the camera and posing for [pictures] and [saying] ‘We’re gonna close this and that and build a beautiful new thing.’ Well, where the heck have you been for 15 years?” he said on Spanning the State. “As a community, we have some of the solutions to help, but the State doesn’t like to listen to us.”
Mayor Bishop told WTMJ the prison faced a 52% vacancy rate in terms of staffing with correctional staff exhausted, overworked and up against harsh circumstances. Although he doesn’t excuse any malpractice, the Mayor wishes the broader scope of the situation be considered.
“I felt as the Mayor, someone had to stick up for the thankless job a lot of these correctional officers have,” he said. “Nobody in Waupun wants anyone to be mistreated or treated inhumanely, but some of the people in there are really rocky, bad people who treat the staff terribly, and I don’t think that side of the story gets told enough.”
An example he provided of one Waupun-sourced suggestion that was allegedly dismissed was connecting the prison to local water sources to bypass some of the poor water quality cited by inmates.
Mayor Bishop says Waupun has the state’s only reverse osmosis water plant with clean drinking water. He alleges that state leadership has not been willing to connect the prison system to that clean water source. He also does not feel the institution needs to be demolished and rebuilt, but rather refurbished.
While he would not comment personally as to whether he believes the correctional employees in question should’ve been charged, he did voice that many of his Waupun constituents feel this is too harsh a reaction.
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