Stimulus money to fund drug prosecutor in Waukesha County

Waukesha - Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel will add a second prosecutor dedicated strictly to drug cases for the next three years, thanks to $218,595 in federal stimulus funding.

The County Board voted Tuesday to accept the funds, which will be paid through the county to the state because district attorneys and their assistants are state employees.

Schimel told the Criminal Justice Collaborating Council Wednesday that the added prosecutor would reduce the time it takes to see drug cases through court. Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have cooperated in cracking down on heroin rings stretching from Chicago to Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. In 2008, 27 people were arrested and charged in cases tied to 11 overdoses.

"My office has been the narrow end of the funnel," Schimel said.

Delays in prosecutions make it harder to get information from criminals in exchange for plea deals, he said. Though final numbers weren't available for last year, he said, the number of deaths tied to opiates was about as high in 2009 as it was in 2008, when 31 Waukesha County deaths were reported.