(Trenton) A man charged with Hiding a Corpse in Dodge County has made his initial appearance in court. The felony count against Shawn Wheeler stems from an incident that occurred two years ago. Christine Steffen is facing similar charges for her alleged role.
According to the complaint, Wheeler and Steffen were with the victim who was paranoid a squad car was following them, so he swallowed a bag full of drugs. Wheeler and Steffen reportedly drove the man to the Beaver Dam hospital but when they arrived, he did not want to go inside.
A short time later, Wheeler and Steffen allegedly noticed that the victim stopped breathing. According to investigators, they did not call 911, check his pulse, or attempt CPR. Wheeler and Steffen drove to the DNR parking lot south of the intersection of Oakwood Road in Trenton. There, they reportedly left the victim’s body where a bystander located him and called the authorities.
If convicted, the 45-year-old Wheeler and the 39-year-old Steffen both face up to 12-and-a-half-years in prison. A signature bond was set at $5,000 for Wheeler and an arraignment hearing is scheduled for June 11th. Steffen is back in court for her preliminary hearing on April 18th.
