Jacob Niesen, the Public Health Madison Dane County (PHMDC) program coordinator, was taken into custody Tuesday and formally charged Thursday after police intercepted packages containing hundreds of grams of “bath salts” and MDMA, enough for thousands of doses, and discovered illegal ketamine at his home, according to court records.
According to emails and other documents obtained by Madison365, Niesen’s work with PHMDC includes tasks such as overdose data monitoring and addiction therapy, and he wished the agency did more to give drug testing tools to drug users.
PHMDC authorities did not immediately respond to email and phone inquiries inquiring whether Niesen’s work provided him with access to persons in addiction.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Court, authorities were summoned to the Park & Ride outside Sun Prairie, where they seized three items from the Netherlands addressed to Dakota Bruns of Madison. They claim to have discovered around 106 grams of N-ethylepentylone and 263 grams of mephedrone, both illicit narcotics generally referred to as “bath salts,” as well as more than 370 grams of MDMA, also known as “ecstasy” or “Molly.” According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a normal dose of MDMA ranges from 60 to 240 milligrams, while a typical amount of bath salt is from five to 20 milligrams, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study. This suggests that the three shipments contained enough medications for thousands of doses.
Police say they delivered the parcels to the addresses listed on the packages and detained the man who arrived to pick them up. He told authorities that he previously picked up and delivered goods to Niesen under the identity Dakota Bruns in exchange for ketamine. He verified Niesen’s home address.
After obtaining a search warrant, police claim they uncovered ketamine packages, a digital scale, 3D printed containers, and glass pipes in the residence, some of which were hidden in ducting.
According to Dane County Sheriff’s Office records, Niesen was initially arrested on accusations of maintaining a drug trafficking location, possessing illicit narcotics with intent to deliver, and making designer drugs. He was arraigned in Dane County Court on Thursday just on the allegation of maintaining a drug-trafficking location; the other two charges were withdrawn, according to sheriff’s office records.
The Dane County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately return a message asking if further charges could be filed later.
The solitary accusation filed thus far is a class I felony, and if convicted, Niesen could face three and a half years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
Following his initial appearance on Thursday, Niesen was freed on a $500 signature bond.
According to records obtained by Madison365, Niesen was suspended for 15 days last year for working for a private rehab facility while on the clock for PHMDC, utilizing City of Madison computers and IT services, and engaging in illicit communications on PHMDC’s network. The suspension was reversed on appeal.
This is a developing story, which will be updated.
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