Do you feel a probation sentence is an appropriate punishment when a life is lost to drugs? Do you feel DA's actually enforce the penalties for drug-related deaths to the full extent? Have you lost a loved one or know someone to lose their life to a fentanyl-laced drug? Do you feel there should be extra punishment for someone knowingly selling laced lethal substances? What do you feel is the appropriate amount of time to sentence a dealer for knowingly selling a laced lethal substance taking a life by lying to a customer and pushing it off as the real thing?

Michael Hohman was my best friend. There isn’t a day that goes by he isn’t on my mind. I miss him so much... He had an absolute heart of gold—always put others before himself, always stood for what’s right and was always there for me. I can’t express his bright vibrant soul enough through these words. Everyone adored his personality, his leadership, his humor, his ability to brighten anyone’s day, his ability to bring people together and ultimately his loyalty/friendship. I’m very grateful for all the memories we shared from becoming best friends in high school to living/working with each other managing stores in Milwaukee. We were inseparable and I was always doing my best to be there for him/get him clean from his struggles with addiction.

Gov. Evers signed into law Wisconsin Act 29 in August of 2023 which is a bipartisan bill that increases the penalty for first-degree reckless homicide involving drugs from a Class C Felony to a Class B Felony. This legislation was inspired by a UW-Milwaukee student who died after consuming what he thought was a Percocet, but turned out to be fentanyl. Sadly, yet another victim to a reckless dealer pushing laced drugs… We were told by the DA that these improved punishments for drug-related deaths doesn’t apply to Michael’s case because his death happened before this bill went into effect. There’s a false prejudicial assumption that Michael was “just another addict” that essentially asked for what he got and it was just “a business deal gone wrong” in the end, which is the furthest thing from the truth… There seems to be a bias due to these facts and because of that; this crime doesn’t seem to be treated as serious as it should be—especially with the immense evidence out there from defendant's past criminal actions, messages, and people they associate with that have also taken a life with fentanyl laced heroin. 

Michael had an addiction he’d been struggling to overcome; however, this doesn’t mean he should be treated any different or his life devalued in any way compared to someone who didn’t struggle with an addiction. In fact, he was actively seeking to become clean 5-6 months before he had his life taken from him. He held his remorse inside until he couldn’t tolerate it anymore and knew he had to finally get over his dependency that he’d been battling with for good. He was making such progress with abstaining and I could easily tell by speaking with him over the phone or through text messages that he was becoming his old-witty-smart-conscious-self again.

It was an absolute SHOCK to receive a phone call at 3am 4 years ago in February by his mother Angela informing me he passed to an actual overdose. It crippled me mentally and even physically and hasn’t gotten any easier with time. I feel a huge piece of me is lost forever that I can never get back or even come close to replace. I will always feel a part of me is gone and I will hurt forever. He was so close to overcoming his addiction and was seeking Suboxone just to tolerate his withdrawals well before seeking anymore heroin. Tragically, he was deceived and now, the real pandemic everyone faces are these reckless immoral dealers and middlemen/women selling fentanyl-laced pills disguised/sold as legal prescriptions and/or fentanyl-laced heroin disguised/sold as actual heroin! 

It has impacted so many friends/families and it won’t end until something drastic is done. Fentanyl is by far the most lethal/potent candidate to cause harm/overdoses. No one knowingly or even unknowingly selling a laced substance should ever be prosecuted as a mere distribution charge... It is essentially voluntary/involuntary manslaughter depending on if they knew the substance they were selling was laced—and especially if they took a life because of it! It should be criminal to suggest anything other than 1st degree reckless homicide for killing someone with laced drugs. It is absolutely wrong how irresponsible and the cold-bloodedness of someone to lie and sell lethal laced-substances as pure or prescription, which continue to take innocent lives. These actions are far beyond evil and truly despicable to be knowingly selling such a potent lethal laced drug with or (in most cases, Michael’s case) without warning…

How many lives need to be taken and horror stories such as this need to be shared for it to end?  How does convicting someone with a slap-on-the-wrist probation sentence for such a serious crime such as this going to solve anything? This is far from justice and it will just result in more reckless distribution in the future… There was another Altoona graduate that was a few years younger that fell victim to being sold a fentanyl-laced pill told to him it was a prescription oxycontin and passed roughly a year after Michael—his name was Max Bawden. Max also had a heart of gold and was loved by everyone as well.  He didn't have a problem with addiction yet still became a victim to a reckless dealer and lost his life to a lethal-laced-fentanyl pill being distributed as a controlled prescription opiate. There have been others to die from the same thing in the area and more I don’t know of, not including everywhere else. 

This is a much bigger issue that most don’t acknowledge or are unaware of until this tragedy happens to an acquaintance or loved one. Our community needs to stand up and do what’s right, do whatever possible to make this stop! No one should ever have to experience such pain/loss over such careless decisions from addicts or dealers and the lethal laced drugs they are pushing deceptively. This is truly an actual pandemic that every teacher, parent, child, and teenager need to be diligently aware of. Being an only child, Michael was more than an actual brother to me and I would do absolutely ANYTHING to have my best friend/brother back!... 

This is not an isolated incident in Altoona, Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls WI or across the United States either. According to data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there were nearly 50,000 synthetic opioid-related overdose deaths in the U.S in 2019 alone - many of these related to fentanyl-laced substances.

We need DA's to actually enforce these stricter laws proposed by Gov. Evers here in WI without any bias to hold drug dealers accountable when their actions result in death—whether they intended it or not. These dealers whom are touching such a potent lethal substance as fentanyl are playing Russian roulette with people’s lives and a measly distribution charge with probation sentence is an absolute disgrace for taking someone’s life providing lethal laced substances—especially without warning… It's time our legal system reflects this reality and ensures justice is served by using the tougher punishments implemented and enforcing them when lives are lost due to such reckless behavior. This needs to materialize before it happens to more and more innocent loved ones!

We feel misguided by the DA whom is responsible to skillfully and fairly seek truth and justice, protect and support victims including the community, and hold offenders accountable. The primary responsibility of the District Attorney's office is to represent the people of the state of Wisconsin in the prosecution of all adult criminal and juvenile delinquent acts. 

Please sign this petition if you believe we need DA's to enforce stronger sentences without bias for these reckless dealers who are selling laced drugs knowingly or unknowingly leading to fatal overdoses. Our community demands justice and for this epidemic to end.