MONROE — A man convicted of burglarizing a Monroe residence in 2013 to feed his opioid addiction had his probation revoked earlier this month for continuing to use and sell heroin, with police ultimately linking him to the overdose death of a Madison woman in February.
Clark W. Schaller, 29, Monticello, was sentenced July 2 to 616 days, or about 20 months, in prison and five years on extended supervision for the felony conviction of burglary. The conviction stems from a break-in at a residence January 2013 in the 500 block of West 21st Street. Schaller reportedly stole patches of the prescription narcotic Fentanyl during the burglary.
His sentence is ordered to run consecutive to the year he’s currently serving in the Dane County Jail for possessing narcotics.
“Mr. Schaller’s addiction took him so far as selling and delivering heroin to support his own addiction, which ultimately resulted in an individual’s death,” his probation agent wrote in a revocation report filed in Green County Circuit Court.
Jenna M. Furseth, 33, died of an accidental overdose in her Madison apartment in February after Schaller sold heroin to her live-in boyfriend, according to police reports included with the revocation document. The boyfriend told police she snorted the “tiniest bump (of heroin) I’ve ever seen in my life” but that he thought it was first time she’d ever tried the drug.
He also told police Schaller injected heroin into his arm in front of them.
Furseth’s obituary identifies her as a 2002 graduate of Stoughton High School and 2006 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Scandinavian Studies. She is survived by her young son, the “love of her life.”
Schaller is not charged in her death, pending a charging decision from the Dane County District Attorney. Police in Madison have referred Schaller for charges of first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of delivering heroin, according to the revocation report.
The sale of the heroin that led to Furseth’s death is only the most recent example of Schaller’s years-long struggle to stay clean, according to his probation agent.
Schaller continued to use and sell heroin even while living in a sober-living facility in Madison within the past year and even after joining the Green County Drug Court program in July 2017, the agent noted.
“Mr Schaller’s efforts to overcome this disease in the community have been unsuccessful, even after being provided extensive treatment to address his rehabilitative needs ... Mr. Schaller lacks insight into his behavior, the risk involved in his continued use of illicit drugs, and the triggers and situations that lead to his relapses,” the agent wrote in the report.
In a letter submitted to Green County Judge James Beer days before the sentencing hearing, Schaller asked for a more lenient sentence. He also thanked the judge for letting him participate in the Drug Court Program, which he did not complete.
“I did the best I have ever done in society through this program. I truly wish I could continue receiving the benefits of the program,” Schaller wrote, adding that he’s now attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings every week in jail and trying to only engage with others “who desire to remain clean.”
“I am honestly afraid to go to prison,” he wrote. “I’m nervous about the people I would be around, the environment and it not being good for my recovery. The things I have heard about prison make me nervous to be around people who are not supportive about my desire to stay clean and sober.”