GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Nearly nine years after he provided the drugs which later killed a pregnant woman, Dontreace Saulsberry was sentenced to five years probation.
Saulsberry, 46, was convicted of reckless homicide Wednesday for his role in the June 2017 death of Jennifer Skeen.
Saulsberry provided the drugs to Cassie Nygren and Shawn Gray, who in turn, provided them to Skeen. According to autopsy results, Skeen was about 30 weeks pregnant and had more than three times a lethal dose of fentanyl in her system.
Brown County Judge John Zakowski recognized Saulsberry’s time served and his rehabilitation when handing down his sentence Wednesday.
But Zakowski addressed the chokehold drugs have on communities in Northeast Wisconsin.
“It’s a dirty world and it’s a deadly world,” said Zakowski. “You can talk about violent criminals, anybody pushing drugs is just as violent because it can result in a death like it did here.”
Per the terms of his probation, Saulsberry must follow through with all recommended treatment and must maintain absolute sobriety. He’s not allowed to have contact with anyone who uses or sells controlled substances. Saulsberry was also ordered to have no contact with Cassie Nygren, Shawn Gray or the victim’s family.
Saulsberry was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.
Gray was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison, while Nygren was sentenced to 13 years in prison for their roles in the case. Nygren’s father, former state Rep. John Nygren, often cited his daughter’s drug issues while sponsoring a variety of legislation on opioid and addiction issues.
Saulsberry’s case dragged on for multiple reasons. He was scheduled to stand trial on four previous dates in October 2022, April 2023, December 2023 and January 2025. Wednesday’s plea deal avoids a trial scheduled for April 28.
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