Drug overdose leads to fatality
By Robert Cloud
Allegedly giving a friend a ride to Milwaukee to purchase cocaine resulted in a charge of first-degree reckless homicide as party to a crime for Sawyer D. Mortensen, 22, Iola.
On Saturday, March 25, Waupaca County Deputy Jason Claussen responded to a reported overdose on State Highway 110 in the town of Union.
When he entered the house, he found Trevor T. Hanson, 27, lying face down on the bathroom floor. Hanson was not breathing, was cold to the touch and had no pulse.
Earlier that day, Hanson’s father had knocked repeatedly on Hanson’s bedroom door. Initially, he assumed Hanson was sleeping late. When he tried to enter, the door was locked.
He then entered the room through a window from the porch and found his son’s body.
Detective Sgt. Nate Nelson reviewed contents of Hanson’s cellphone. He found multiple conversations between Hanson and Mortensen on March 24, making arrangements for Mortensen to drive Hanson to Milwaukee to purchase cocaine.
The Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center provided data from traffic surveillance cameras, confirming that the two men drove from Waupaca County to Milwaukee and back on March 24.
According to the criminal complaint, Mortensen told investigators he drove Hanson to Milwaukee, where they acquired and ingested cocaine.
Dr. Adam Covach, the chief medical examiner in Fond du Lac County, conducted an autopsy.
Covach reported Hanson’s “cause of death was related to cocaine, diazepam, fentanyl, heroin and xylazine toxicity.”
Mortensen was released from custody after posting a $10,000 cash bond.
He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.