MONROE - On a Wednesday in February, a 23-year-old Monroe man was sentenced to probation on convictions of stealing to support a heroin habit.
Two days later, he was picked up again, this time on bail-jumping charges after police reported finding drug paraphernalia on him.
This is the cycle of heroin. Long the hard drug of choice in metropolitan areas, heroin is creeping into rural areas, including Green and Lafayette counties, at an alarming rate. The Monroe Police Department's annual report describes heroin use in the area as reaching "epidemic proportions" in 2011.
Hard numbers are difficult to come by: The drug's rise is hard to track quantitatively. Heroin often manifests its presence indirectly, in thefts, burglaries, traffic crashes, domestic abuse and in cases handled privately by child-protective agencies and medical staff.
Heroin is a "very elusive problem. It's pretty frustrating," said Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud. Deputies have trouble detecting, for example, when people are driving high. "They're wasted, but there's no odor."
But one thing begins to crystallize in the court hearings, police reports, counselor's offices and in stories straight from addicts and their families: more than almost any drug, heroin addiction looks like dominos falling in a seemingly endless cycle of wrecked relationships, broken bodies, parentless children and lies.
So far, the death toll is not as high as the numbers reported elsewhere in the state. One heroin-related death was reported in Green County in 2011, in Brodhead, according to coroner Kris Hasse. Another already this year is still under investigation. District Attorney Gary Luhman said this death by overdose happened in New Glarus.
But it could be just a matter of time before heroin claims more lives in the area.
Heroin is "quickly coming into our area," said Sgt. Detective Joe Thompson of the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department. "If this trend continues, there will continue to be a significant increase in heroin deaths."
Heroin: A cheaper alternative
Heroin, aka dope, junk or smack, is an opiate synthesized from the naturally occurring morphine in a variety of poppy plant, and can be smoked or injected. The drug is so addictive, a user can go from first-time party dabbler to full-on junkie in a matter of days, just to stave off withdrawal sickness.
This addiction leads junkies to steal, burglarize, drive high and nod off on the road, sell or trade sex for heroin, and generally fall into total dysfunction.
"The first sign is when people start taking advantage of their relatives. Then they make it less personal," Skatrud said.
In 2011, Monroe police documented a 13-percent increase in overall thefts and a 39-percent increase in thefts from vehicles, according to Chief Fred Kelley. He maintains many of these are crimes fueled by desperation for drug money. Often, the thief will target unlocked cars for GPS systems or break into homes to take anything that can be pawned.
"People steal to get their fix. And that's where we start seeing these things," Kelley said. "Addiction is a disease. It's a physical disease, but it's also a social disease."
Law enforcement started seeing evidence of an uptick in heroin use in the area about 18 months ago, Luhman said. Then, last summer, "it just seemed like all of sudden we were inundated with heroin."
Many with a reported heroin habit, like Samuel Krebs, end up in Green County Circuit Court. According to police reports, 23-year-old Krebs and the mother of his children were pawning stolen goods for drug money. His record includes thieving from his father and burglarizing a home on 8th Street in October.
He's far from an isolated case. Three Monroe men and one Brooklyn man were charged on a single day in early April with dealing narcotics or heroin. An Illinois woman, Jenny M. Rogers, faces two Class D felonies of first-degree reckless injury after two young women overdosed when she allegedly injected them with heroin in the bathroom of a Monroe nightclub in October.
Many heroin addicts report first abusing prescription narcotics, like the painkiller Oxycontin, before graduating to the cheaper street drug.
Another Monroe man who ended up here in court, Samuel Schutte, 27, was prescribed the narcotic Fentanyl after he injured his back a few years ago. Soon he was abusing it and other prescription medications. According to a investigation by Luhman presented in court in March, Schutte's life spiraled into crime to feed a habit that was costing him $20 to $100 daily.
Even an ex-girlfriend's suicide by overdose didn't shake Schutte's addiction, Luhman said. Schutte is currently in prison on convictions of escaping jail and forging a check. Before his sentencing, he told the court he wanted to participate in a drug-counseling incentive while in prison.
Problem snuck up
"Heroin really snuck up on us," said Eric Gebhart, an alcohol and drug counselor with Green County Human Services since 2004. "I was worried about methamphetamines. Heroin is the one that stepped up."
Monroe Clinic did not respond to requests for the number of heroin-related cases it sees, but Dr. Darren Pipp reports "a bit of an increase."
"We met with the DA to discuss it a few months back. It's mostly a matter of awareness by our staff and recognition of withdrawal symptoms, which is when we usually have contact," said Pipp, medical director of Monroe Clinic's Emergency Department, in a statement.
Gebhart said he's working with more heroin-addicted clients this year than any other year since he started at the agency in 2004. It's a devastating disease to witness.
Addicts change personality, he said. They become manipulative and sneaky.
"They're pretty neglectful parents if they're high and passing out," he said. "It's a constant battle with flips along the way. The sad part is they've burned a lot of bridges. They're kind of on their last leg. It's just sad to see how many relationships they are ruining."
Coming Wednesday: One young woman's story of heroin addiction and recovery.
Two days later, he was picked up again, this time on bail-jumping charges after police reported finding drug paraphernalia on him.
This is the cycle of heroin. Long the hard drug of choice in metropolitan areas, heroin is creeping into rural areas, including Green and Lafayette counties, at an alarming rate. The Monroe Police Department's annual report describes heroin use in the area as reaching "epidemic proportions" in 2011.
Hard numbers are difficult to come by: The drug's rise is hard to track quantitatively. Heroin often manifests its presence indirectly, in thefts, burglaries, traffic crashes, domestic abuse and in cases handled privately by child-protective agencies and medical staff.
Heroin is a "very elusive problem. It's pretty frustrating," said Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud. Deputies have trouble detecting, for example, when people are driving high. "They're wasted, but there's no odor."
But one thing begins to crystallize in the court hearings, police reports, counselor's offices and in stories straight from addicts and their families: more than almost any drug, heroin addiction looks like dominos falling in a seemingly endless cycle of wrecked relationships, broken bodies, parentless children and lies.
So far, the death toll is not as high as the numbers reported elsewhere in the state. One heroin-related death was reported in Green County in 2011, in Brodhead, according to coroner Kris Hasse. Another already this year is still under investigation. District Attorney Gary Luhman said this death by overdose happened in New Glarus.
But it could be just a matter of time before heroin claims more lives in the area.
Heroin is "quickly coming into our area," said Sgt. Detective Joe Thompson of the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department. "If this trend continues, there will continue to be a significant increase in heroin deaths."
Heroin: A cheaper alternative
Heroin, aka dope, junk or smack, is an opiate synthesized from the naturally occurring morphine in a variety of poppy plant, and can be smoked or injected. The drug is so addictive, a user can go from first-time party dabbler to full-on junkie in a matter of days, just to stave off withdrawal sickness.
This addiction leads junkies to steal, burglarize, drive high and nod off on the road, sell or trade sex for heroin, and generally fall into total dysfunction.
"The first sign is when people start taking advantage of their relatives. Then they make it less personal," Skatrud said.
In 2011, Monroe police documented a 13-percent increase in overall thefts and a 39-percent increase in thefts from vehicles, according to Chief Fred Kelley. He maintains many of these are crimes fueled by desperation for drug money. Often, the thief will target unlocked cars for GPS systems or break into homes to take anything that can be pawned.
"People steal to get their fix. And that's where we start seeing these things," Kelley said. "Addiction is a disease. It's a physical disease, but it's also a social disease."
Law enforcement started seeing evidence of an uptick in heroin use in the area about 18 months ago, Luhman said. Then, last summer, "it just seemed like all of sudden we were inundated with heroin."
Many with a reported heroin habit, like Samuel Krebs, end up in Green County Circuit Court. According to police reports, 23-year-old Krebs and the mother of his children were pawning stolen goods for drug money. His record includes thieving from his father and burglarizing a home on 8th Street in October.
He's far from an isolated case. Three Monroe men and one Brooklyn man were charged on a single day in early April with dealing narcotics or heroin. An Illinois woman, Jenny M. Rogers, faces two Class D felonies of first-degree reckless injury after two young women overdosed when she allegedly injected them with heroin in the bathroom of a Monroe nightclub in October.
Many heroin addicts report first abusing prescription narcotics, like the painkiller Oxycontin, before graduating to the cheaper street drug.
Another Monroe man who ended up here in court, Samuel Schutte, 27, was prescribed the narcotic Fentanyl after he injured his back a few years ago. Soon he was abusing it and other prescription medications. According to a investigation by Luhman presented in court in March, Schutte's life spiraled into crime to feed a habit that was costing him $20 to $100 daily.
Even an ex-girlfriend's suicide by overdose didn't shake Schutte's addiction, Luhman said. Schutte is currently in prison on convictions of escaping jail and forging a check. Before his sentencing, he told the court he wanted to participate in a drug-counseling incentive while in prison.
Problem snuck up
"Heroin really snuck up on us," said Eric Gebhart, an alcohol and drug counselor with Green County Human Services since 2004. "I was worried about methamphetamines. Heroin is the one that stepped up."
Monroe Clinic did not respond to requests for the number of heroin-related cases it sees, but Dr. Darren Pipp reports "a bit of an increase."
"We met with the DA to discuss it a few months back. It's mostly a matter of awareness by our staff and recognition of withdrawal symptoms, which is when we usually have contact," said Pipp, medical director of Monroe Clinic's Emergency Department, in a statement.
Gebhart said he's working with more heroin-addicted clients this year than any other year since he started at the agency in 2004. It's a devastating disease to witness.
Addicts change personality, he said. They become manipulative and sneaky.
"They're pretty neglectful parents if they're high and passing out," he said. "It's a constant battle with flips along the way. The sad part is they've burned a lot of bridges. They're kind of on their last leg. It's just sad to see how many relationships they are ruining."
Coming Wednesday: One young woman's story of heroin addiction and recovery.