Greenfield leaders and Milwaukee County officials are expressing concern after they say they weren’t notified that a man found mentally incompetent to stand trial for homicide was released back into the community.
Amando Lang, 24, was arrested June 15 after reportedly experiencing hallucinations, possibly due to a reaction to his prescription medication. He had an active warrant for retail theft and a prior arrest in 2019 for first-degree intentional homicide, when he was accused of stabbing Ben Christianson, 49, of Madison, in the neck during an unprovoked attack.
“The system has failed us when someone with seemingly serious mental health issues — accused of brutally murdering an innocent person five years ago — is the subject of a police call in our community, blocks away from where the killing occurred,” Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke said. “Near as I can tell, no one from our police department or the District Attorney’s Office was notified of his return to the community because he could only be held in treatment for so long.”
State Rep. Bob Donovan, a Republican from Greenfield, said in a June 18 Facebook post, “I have spoken with Mayor Neiztke, who has diligently been pursuing this issue, and Milwaukee DA Kent Lovern about what action is needed from the state. This could have been another tragedy waiting to happened and there must be serious explaining as to how we arrived at this situation.”
Lang’s mother called 911 and said her son was hallucinating
According to a police report, Greenfield officers were dispatched at 8:19 p.m. June 15 to an apartment complex after Lang’s mother called 911 and said her son was hallucinating.
When officers arrived, they found Lang behaving erratically — making involuntary movements and screeching noises. He was immediately handcuffed due to his behavioral history and active warrant and placed in the back of a squad car.
An officer stayed with Lang to help keep him calm while he was questioned. Lang told police he had taken his medication and smoked a Dutch cigar, which he believed may have caused a “bad trip.” He also said he felt like he was blacking out. The officer noted Lang appeared to nod off during the conversation.
Lang denied taking the wrong medication or double-dosing and said he lived at a group home, though he couldn’t recall the address. He confirmed he was allowed to live in the community as long as he continued taking his prescribed medications. He voluntarily agreed to be transported to the Milwaukee Mental Health Emergency Center.
Lang’s mother told police the cigar was sealed and untampered with. She said she attempted to contact his social worker but was unsuccessful. She also confirmed Lang was free to come and go from the group home, which is not a secure facility.
Lang’s release ‘does not foster a sense of safety or security’
Acting Greenfield Police Chief Eric Lindstrom called the situation where Lang could roam the streets rare, but deeply serious.
“Mr. Lang has already shown a disturbing willingness to commit an unprovoked act of extreme violence,” Lindstrom said. “My concern stems solely from a desire to protect our community. Allowing him to walk freely among us does not foster a sense of safety or security.”
Lindstrom added anyone capable of such an attack shouldn’t be granted the same freedoms as law-abiding citizens.
“For the well-being of our community, I strongly urge that appropriate measures be taken to ensure he does not pose a continued threat,” he said.
Neitzke said he was told the county had no place to house Lang after his release.
“There is a serious hole in the system that needs to be immediately fixed,” he said.
Milwaukee DA’s office confirms Lang’s competency hearing
Deputy District Attorney Sara Sadowski said Lang was found incompetent to stand trial and not likely to regain competency. As a result, the case was converted to a civil commitment.
“What happens in this situation is that corporation counsel comes in, and in collaboration with the DA’s office, the case gets what’s called converted to a civil case,” Sadowski said. “The criminal case doesn’t go away, but it stays in a sort of suspended status.”
She noted that, although the case appears closed in the online court records system, it remains suspended due to Lang’s ongoing competency status.
Because of HIPAA laws, the DA’s office is not informed of Lang’s current mental health condition.
“It’s a little bit frustrating because of HIPAA and whatnot,” Sadowski said. “But because of his capacity — whether it’s a mental health issue, cognitive issue or developmental delay — he can’t be held criminally responsible.”
Sadowski said Lang’s criminal case remains active, but his care and placement fall under the civil system, which is managed by other agencies. The DA’s office is supposed to receive a 15-day notice before the release of a person under civil commitment, but in this case, it received no notice.
“We didn’t get a notice in this case,” she said. “The reason there’s a hearing on the 23rd is because we heard he’s back out in the community. We found out the same time a lot of people did — on Monday — and so the only thing we can do is bring him in for another competency hearing to see if he has regained competency. If he has, then we can proceed down a standard criminal path and try to hold him criminally responsible.”
If Lang is still not competent, however, he will be released back into the community, Sadowski said.
“Competency is covered on the criminal side under section 971.14,” she said. “But the civil side falls under Chapter 51, and that’s generally handled by corporation counsel. The District Attorney’s Office doesn’t know what’s happening with the civil commitment.”
Lang’s competency hearing is scheduled to take place June 23.
(This story was updated to add new information and because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy.)
Adrienne Davis is a south suburban reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Got any tips or stories to share? Contact Adrienne at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Greenfield police, mayor sound alarm over release of mentally ill man charged in death
Reporting by Adrienne Davis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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