By Shereen Skola
Wausau Daily Herald
MARATHON COUNTY, Wisc. — Three former Marathon County Jail inmates said hardcore drugs — including heroin — are commonplace at the facility, and corrections officers do not consistently enforce rules and policies at the jail.
The former inmates, none of whom were incarcerated at the time a corrections officer was brutally assaulted at the jail, spoke Tuesday to an independent panel of community members tasked with recommending solutions to problems at the facility. The Marathon County Jail, housed in the Marathon County Courthouse in downtown Wausau, has been the subject of intense scrutiny since the March 27 attack that left Julie Christensen, 36, critically injured. Fredrick Morris, 20, of Wausau, has been charged in connection with the incident.
Ken Chaignot, 50, of Wausau, who spent six months in jail on a sixth-offense drunken driving charge in 2011, said that while most corrections officers, or COs, treat inmates with respect, the attitudes of a select few led to increased tensions within the jail.
Full story: Former inmate: Drugs, disrespect common at Marathon County Jail (with video)