The Wisconsin Department of Corrections failed to revoke the supervision of a Milwaukee felon who is a suspect in at least five overdose death investigations and who was released on $10,000 bail after being accused of reckless homicide in Waupaca County, according to the Washington County sheriff.
“It is incomprehensible to me how this individual was allowed to remain in society and continue selling dangerous drugs throughout Wisconsin,” Washington County Sheriff Marty Schulteis said. “He is a suspect in at least five overdose death investigations.”
Karl Rieves, 30, is now charged with another reckless homicide/drug dealing offense in Washington County in connection with the fatal overdose death in Hartford, Wisconsin, of a young mother of four and Air Force veteran named Deborah Stolzenburg. “Deborah was a very creative person, often hand crafting beautiful things for people she loved. She enjoyed art, crocheting and music,” her obituary says (her husband died a few months later.)
Wisconsin Right Now has asked the Wisconsin Department of Corrections why the Gov. Tony Evers-controlled agency did not revoke Rieves’s supervision when he was accused of homicide and other serious charges in Waupaca County. They did not respond. Court records show he and two other men are accused of conducting “at least 32 separate drug transactions” over the past month alone.
Rieves was released from state prison on extended supervision in 2021 after being incarcerated for heroin dealing, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release, and prison records confirm.
“I hope the message is clear: jurisdictional boundaries will not shield you from justice,” said Schulteis. “This case is deeply troubling…Despite being arrested and charged for similar offenses, and while on extended supervision from the Wisconsin DOC, his supervision was never revoked. To only compound matters he was then granted a cash bond in Waupaca County, allowing him to commit another deadly crime in Washington County.”
“As a public safety leader and the elected Sheriff of Washington County, I am simply outraged,” Schulteis continued. “The fact that he was able to exploit the criminal justice system and operate with impunity is a systematic failure to the citizens I represent. I can only hope that this latest arrest will finally put an end to his drug dealing and prevent future deaths, but this is only one case.”
According to state prison records, the Department of Corrections – an agency run by Gov. Tony Evers’ cabinet secretary – released Rieves on extended supervision on Feb. 16, 2021.
The prison stint stemmed from a 2018 heroin dealing case out of Milwaukee County, for which he received a 1-year prison sentence in 2019. He then reoffended in Waukesha County, court records show. The court records show that he was originally charged with reckless homicide dealing drugs in the Waukesha County case but only ended up being convicted of heroin dealing. In 2021, he was sentenced to 9 months Huber jail, as well as a four-year stayed prison term, four years stayed extended supervision, and five years of probation.
After being released on state supervision in 2021, Rieves was accused of the following crimes in Waupaca County but was not revoked:
- 1st-degree reckless homicide, deliver drugs, as a repeater. Filed Dec. 14, 2022. Judge Vicki Clussman ordered $10,000 bail in January 2023.
- 2 counts of 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety. Filed April 2023. On April 26, he posted $10,000 bond. The bond hearing was held before Judge Raymond Huber.
While on state supervision and out on bail from those Waupaca County cases, Rieves then allegedly sold the fentanyl that killed the 39-year-old Hartford woman whose death is the subject of the recent charges, the Sheriff’s Department noted in the release. Rieves is now charged with 13 offenses in Washington County, including reckless homicide as a repeater. He also has open bail jumping and disorderly conduct charges in Ozaukee County.
Washington County Sheriff’s investigators “made several arrests early Thursday morning in connection with a fatal drug overdose that occurred in the City of Hartford in June of 2024,” the release announced.
Karl Rieves was released from the Wisconsin State Prison system “on extended supervision in 2021” and, while out on the streets, “he was arrested and charged in Waupaca County for his role in multiple overdoses, including one fatal in their jurisdiction. He was out on bond on that case while remaining on extended supervision with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) when he allegedly sold fentanyl relating to our death,” the Washington County release says.
Two other men have been charged in connection with the alleged drug ring, 23-year-old Laron Horton and 19-year-old Tony Robinson.
Horton’s past record includes a second-degree recklessly endangering safety charge in Milwaukee County. In 2022, he received 6 months in jail and a stayed prison sentence. He is now charged with fentanyl dealing in Washington County, as is Robinson.
Robinson has no adult criminal history in Wisconsin.
The investigation “started with the City of Hartford Police Department investigating the deadly drug overdose,” the release said.
“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office Multi-Jurisdictional Drug unit opened an investigation into the source of drugs and was able to identify the suspect as a 30-year-old City of Milwaukee man,” the release says.
“Washington County investigators collaborated with the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation Overdose Death Initiative, and the Wisconsin Counterdrug Program for several months. This investigation culminated Thursday morning with three search warrants executed by tactical teams in the City of Milwaukee and one in the Village of Grafton,” the release noted.
“A stolen Glock handgun that had been altered to allow it to operate fully automatic was also recovered during the search along with illegal narcotics,” the release says.
“This investigation came to a successful conclusion today as a direct result of the hard work and dedication of many investigators. We are grateful for our assisting agencies, including the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), City of Milwaukee Police and Fire Departments, North Central HIDTA, Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Medical Examiner’s Office, Hartford Police Department K9 Flash, and Grafton Police Department.”
Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis added, “This case is bittersweet for me. Jurisdictional boundaries often create significant challenges for law enforcement in cases like this. Our investigators traced the fentanyl that killed the victim back to a sale in the City of Milwaukee; however, our jurisdiction does not typically extend into Milwaukee. I appreciate the strong partnerships with the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, the DCI Overdose Death Initiative, and the Wisconsin Counterdrug Program. Their support allowed us to extend our reach into Milwaukee to address those selling these dangerous drugs to our citizens.”
