Joseph Schmidt-Rehbein (Fond du Lac Co. Jail)
FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Joseph Schmidt-Rehbein was sentenced Friday to five-and-half years in prison for his role in a fatal fentanyl overdose, in which the victim was found dead, lying on a Ripon sidewalk.
Schmidt-Rehbein, 17, was previously convicted of being party to first-degree reckless homicide for the April 2023 death of an 18-year-old. He was also placed on extended supervision for 10.5 years by Judge Anthony Nehls.
Schmidt-Rehbein was 15 at the time of the incident. In Wisconsin, those between ages 10-16 charged with certain homicide counts are prosecuted in adult court.
In a statement, District Attorney Eric Toney said:
No amount of prison is ever enough for a parent that had to bury their child from a fentanyl overdose. We pray it offers them justice and helps save another life by taking another drug dealer off our streets. Fentanyl continues to devastate our communities and we stand with all families that have been impacted by the opioid epidemic and deadly effects of fentanyl, especially as they feel the loss of a loved one during this Christmas and Holiday season.
Several others were also charged in the case. Maison Springston was sentenced to seven years in prison. Michael Manske will be sentenced Jan. 21; Donavyn Mueller’s sentencing is Feb. 7.
Officials say the 18-year-old victim and other teens went to a home on Scott Street in Ripon and used narcotics. While there, the victim began to experience overdose symptoms and became unresponsive. The people in the home took him outside, placed him on the sidewalk and ran away.
His body was found the next morning. The medical examiner listed bromazolam and fentanyl toxicity as the cause of death, according to the complaint.
“Mueller sends [name] an audio message where he is informing [name] of what the pills he would be selling him really are, and what their potency is. Mueller tells [name] the product is definitely good, that it’s good money, but it’s not good for your clientele. Mueller tells [name] that there is fentanyl in the pills, and that if someone takes a full pill or a small person takes more than half of one, it would really mess them up. This message clearly shows that Mueller was knowingly distributing fentanyl laced counterfeit pills with the appearance of being Percocet 30 milligram pills,” the complaint states.
The investigation shows the known chain of delivery started with Donavyn Mueller, who became the target of the investigation, to Kyle Lamb (deceased), to Joseph Schmidt-Rehbein with Mason Springston, and ultimately to the victim, prosecutors said.
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