Oct. 09--A top drug investigator in the Fox Valley has been placed on unpaid suspension over an inappropriate relationship with a confidential informant.
The development could affect dozens of pending cases in which Winnebago County sheriff's Detective Greg Weitz or the informant has played a role.
But the revelation of Weitz's trouble did not affect the prosecution of one his biggest targets, an Oshkosh man convicted late last month at trial of distributing heroin and cocaine.
It was during that trial of Lord Wilson that Weitz was forced to reveal his suspension.
Assistant District Attorney Eric Sparr, who won Wilson's conviction, confirmed that he asked Weitz a limited series of questions that he, defense attorney Thomas Gerleman and the judge agreed upon in advance. Weitz answered that he is currently suspended without pay from the sheriff's office and the Lake Winnebago Area Metro Enforcement Group, a multiagency drug task force to which he was assigned.
The suspension followed an inappropriate contact with a confidential informant in July, while Weitz was off duty, Sparr said.
No other information was elicited in front of the jury, Sparr said, and he said he couldn't say more because other details of the situation remain under seal. Wilson's attorney, Thomas Gerleman of Plymouth, declined to talk about the trial or Weitz.
Weitz's boss, Winnebago County Sheriff John Matz, confirmed Weitz is suspended "pending review," but said he could not discuss personnel matters beyond that.
The head of the Lake Winnebago Area Metro Enforcement Group, Brad Dunlap, also declined to discuss Weitz and referred a reporter to Matz.
Weitz did not return a message left on his voice mail.
Million dollar drug ring
At trial, Sparr painted Wilson, 27, as one of the leaders of a multimillion-dollar illegal drug distribution ring that moved about 20 pounds of heroin and 13 pounds of crack cocaine, worth more than $4 million, around Oshkosh. Authorities busted the ring in July 2011.
Sparr said nine people were charged with conspiracy, and more than two dozen others were charged with offenses connected to the operation in various degrees.
He said that the confidential informant involved with Weitz is not directly involved in the drug ring cases, but that he still anticipates Weitz will be an issue in some of them.
The attorney for Printiss Williams, one of the others charged with conspiracy, said he certainly will try to learn more about Weitz and the informant.
"How it impacts the case is it could be a game-changer," said the attorney, Anthony Cotton of Waukesha. "He's the lead investigator on a wide-ranging drug conspiracy that went on for two years. He's spearheading the investigation and having a relationship with an informant?"
Cotton said the issue is even more critical because the case against Williams, like that against Lord, is based entirely on testimony from informants.
"There are no controlled buys, no video surveillance, no GPS, they don't even have drugs," Cotton said.
Cotton expects to ask for more information from the internal investigation into Weitz at a hearing in Williams' case later this month.
Copyright 2012 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
