Racine County SWAT officers and the Metro Drug Unit hit a home near Arthur and Washington on Thursday, Feb. 26, serving a search warrant that turned up a sizable stash of drugs and two young children inside. Child Protective Services took custody of the children, a 6-year-old and a 1-year-old, for medical exams. Both adults arrested at the scene are being held at the Racine County Jail while charging recommendations are sent to the district attorney.
According to FOX6 News Milwaukee, investigators seized 21.3 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, 41.5 grams of methamphetamine laced with fentanyl, 28.6 grams of crack cocaine laced with fentanyl, about 93 grams of THC, 11.4 grams of THC edibles, 12 grams of psilocybin, four oxycodone pills, two semi-automatic handguns and $5,929 in cash. The Racine County Sheriff's Office said the haul was recovered when the Metro Drug Unit and county SWAT team executed the warrant as part of an ongoing investigation.
"Two small children were living in a home where dangerous narcotics were being stored and sold," Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said in a news release provided to FOX6 News Milwaukee. Deputies arrested 40-year-old Kevin Francois and 41-year-old Jennifer Schemenauer and referred charges to the Racine County District Attorney’s Office that include child neglect, recklessly endangering safety, maintaining a drug-trafficking place, possession with intent to deliver several controlled substances, possession of psilocybin and THC, and two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon. According to the sheriff’s office, Francois is being held on $1,888,100 cash bail and Schemenauer on $115,100 at the Racine County Jail.
Racine Investigations Have Turned Up Children
Local reporting indicates this kind of case is not an outlier in Racine County. Other recent search warrants have also uncovered young children in homes where drugs and weapons were recovered, triggering human services involvement under the county's drug-endangered-children protocols. TMJ4 and other outlets have reported on similar searches where deputies found narcotics and firearms in residences where children were living.
Legal Implications
The offenses referred to prosecutors carry felony exposure under Wisconsin law. Possession with intent to deliver is charged under Wis. Stat. § 961.41, where penalties depend on the drug type and quantity, and maintaining a drug-trafficking place is prosecuted under Wis. Stat. § 961.42, which legal analyses say can be filed as a serious felony. See a legal overview of maintaining a drug-trafficking place for details on elements and potential sentencing.
The Racine County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is still active and that final charging decisions are up to the district attorney. Child Protective Services is handling placement and medical evaluations for the children. This story will be updated if the district attorney files formal charges or the sheriff releases additional information.
