By Tom Kertscher
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE - A man being driven to a mental hospital by two Washington County sheriff’s deputies died after slitting his throat with a surgical scalpel blade he took from his wallet while he was handcuffed at the waist, the Winnebago County sheriff’s office reported Friday.
Washington County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said his department’s internal investigation into the death of Marc J. Rosario would continue until at least late next week, but that people being transported by his deputies should not have possessions on them.
“In general, you wouldn’t let them have personal property,” he said.
The two deputies, both of whom have nearly 20 years of experience, handled Rosario “mostly correctly and well, but obviously something went wrong,” Schmidt said.
Rosario, a 30-year-old Town of Erin resident, died minutes after the two deputies found him bleeding in the back of their squad car about 7 a.m. May 8, according to the Winnebago County sheriff’s office. They were on Highway 41 about 2 miles from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute north of Oshkosh.
Rosario was a Milwaukee native and University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate who loved nature, writing and music, according to a death notice. He was buried Friday.
Winnebago County sheriff’s Capt. Steve Verwiel said he did not know the Washington County Sheriff’s Department protocol for transporting people with mental illness, so he could not comment on whether Deputies Jeffrey Schwitz, who was driving, and Daniel Brawn followed proper procedures.
“I could see how this could have (happened) to any officer,” Verwiel said.
Verwiel said Rosario, who was unemployed, lived with his parents, Cornel and Kathy Rosario, and that they called the Washington County Sheriff’s Department about 2 a.m. May 8 concerned about his behavior.
Verwiel said Rosario was found near the home in a “mentally altered” state, so he was taken to a hospital, which recommended he be taken to Winnebago.
Verwiel said Rosario showed signs of mental illness but was not combative and did not talk about hurting himself.
However, Rosario used his hands, which were handcuffed to a “belly chain,” to remove his seat belt, take the nearly 1-inch blade out of his wallet and remove the manufacturer’s foil covering, Verwiel said.
The deputies, who spoke to Rosario about two minutes before they saw him bleeding, immediately called 911 and drove about 1 mile to the Winnebago County sheriff’s office, Verwiel said. They were met by emergency personnel, but Rosario was dead within minutes from loss of blood, Verwiel said.
There was no sign Rosario was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Verwiel said. It appears Rosario had not had any prior mental health episodes, Verwiel said.
At the request of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Verwiel said, his office will not release reports on the incident until Monday.