Former Ozaukee County coroner Timothy Deppisch is now facing two felony counts of misconduct in public office, accused of falsifying official records and billing taxpayers for funeral-home visits prosecutors say never happened. The charges were filed on March 23, 2026, and stem from specific entries in coroner reports and travel vouchers tied to his time as the county’s elected coroner from 2016 until the job shifted to an appointed medical examiner in January 2023. The Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office detailed the allegations in a news release and criminal complaint provided to local media.
Investigation and Allegations
According to the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation kicked off on Feb. 23, 2023, after the county’s newly appointed medical examiner spotted red flags in travel expense vouchers. Those discrepancies reportedly involved reimbursement requests for trips to funeral homes outside Ozaukee County. When investigators followed up, funeral-home representatives told them Deppisch never showed up for the visits tied to those claims. Because those trips were linked to official coroner duties and recordkeeping, the county referred the matter for criminal review, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee.
Coroner Duties And Records
Coroners are responsible for issuing death certificates, authorizing cremation permits and, when needed, ordering autopsies, tasks that typically require an in-person verification of the decedent along with formal paperwork. Ozaukee County’s staff directory outlines those responsibilities and lists contact information for the coroner’s office. Because death certificates and cremation permits are legal documents, investigators treat any allegedly falsified entries as potential crimes rather than routine clerical slipups, as described on Ozaukee County.
What's in the Criminal Complaint
The criminal complaint centers on two incidents, one in September 2022 and another in December 2022, each described as an intentional falsification or improper alteration of coroner records. Prosecutors say the disputed entries involve death certifications and cremation-related paperwork, and that the related reimbursement claims for funeral-home visits were not backed up by witnesses at those facilities. The Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office has referred two felony counts of misconduct in public office against Deppisch, and the sheriff’s release notes he was elected in 2016 and served as coroner until January 2023, when the county converted the position to an appointed medical examiner, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee.
Legal Implications
Wisconsin’s misconduct statute, Wis. Stat. § 946.12, makes it a crime for a public official to intentionally falsify entries in official reports or records. The offense is classified as a Class I felony, which under the state’s sentencing grid can carry up to 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment and a fine of as much as $10,000, as outlined in Wis. Stat. § 939.50. Prosecutors must prove the defendant acted knowingly and with intent, a standard that often turns these cases into detailed fights over what an official knew and when.
What Comes Next
The case now moves into Ozaukee County Circuit Court, where prosecutors and the judge will set an arraignment date and future hearings as filings come in. For the moment, the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office remains the primary source of information about the allegations and the criminal complaint. Additional public records and court filings are expected to shed more light on the case as it winds its way through the legal system.
