MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Deandre Dwayne Templeton, 42, Baraboo, Wisconsin, has been sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 9 years in federal prison for possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl intended for distribution. The prison term will be followed by 7 years of supervised release. Templeton pleaded guilty to this charge on June 9, 2026.

In the spring and summer of 2025, the Sauk County Drug Task Force identified Templeton as a leader of a group selling heroin and fentanyl in Sauk County. From April through June 2025, investigators purchased quantities of heroin and/or fentanyl from Templeton and his associates on many occasions. On July 30, 2025, Templeton drove to Chicago, Illinois, to pick up additional heroin/fentanyl for distribution. When Templeton returned to his apartment in Baraboo, law enforcement officers placed him under arrest and searched his vehicle. Inside, officers found 174 grams of heroin/fentanyl in a backpack.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that Templeton was involved in significant drug trafficking and played a leadership role in the group. In determining an appropriate sentence, Judge Peterson highlighted that Templeton had a fairly aggravated criminal history, which included convictions for drug trafficking, weapons, and some violence.

The charge against Templeton was the result of an investigation conducted by the Sauk County Drug Task Force; the Sauk County Sheriff's Office; the Baraboo, Lake Delton, and Reedsburg Police Departments; the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation; and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Sauk County District Attorney's Office also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Remington and Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.

Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).