Inmate accused of distributing drugs at county jail
Raymond A. Franz, 40, Waupaca, is charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and felony delivery of a prescription drug.
On Aug. 19, Dustin Arndt, a 23-year-old inmate at Waupaca County jail was taken to ThedaCare-Waupaca and placed into an intensive care unit.
According to the criminal complaint, Arndt had overdosed on Wellbutrin XL, a prescription drug used to treat depression and help people quit smoking.
When Waupaca County narcotics officer Nate Nelson questioned him, Arndt said he consumed 20-30 tablets that he obtained from Franz.
Arndt described the effect of Wellbutrin as similar to meth, but without the paranoia or “tweaking.”
A nurse administered the medication to Franz twice a day. He allegedly “cheeked” the drugs, then traded them with other inmates.
A blood test indicated the level of Wellbutrin in Franz’s system was too low for him to be using the amount the nurse was giving him.
Franz remains in custody on a $10,000 cash bond.
On May 12, Franz was released from prison after serving four years for possession of methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm and threatening a witness.