A teenager connected to a fatal fentanyl overdose in Ripon, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 5-and-a-half years in prison on Friday. Joseph L. Schmidt-Rehbein, 15 at the time of the incident, was convicted of First Degree Reckless Homicide for his role in the April 7, 2023 overdose death of an 18-year-old man.
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney confirmed that Schmidt-Rehbein was also sentenced to 10-and-a-half years of extended supervision. The victim, whose fentanyl toxicity level was 4.0 ng/mL, died from an overdose after using drugs at a home on Scott Street.
The criminal complaints revealed that Schmidt-Rehbein and two co-defendants were with the victim when he overdosed. Rather than seeking medical help, the group decided to leave him on a Ripon sidewalk where he was later found dead. Co-defendant Maison Springston has already been sentenced to seven years in prison and eight years of extended supervision.
Another co-defendant, Donavyn Mueller, the primary source of the fentanyl, is scheduled for sentencing on February 7, 2025. The case highlights the dangers of fentanyl and the consequences of reckless actions when faced with an overdose.