Defendants Appear On Drug Charges
Board Places Lund on Unpaid Leave
Click Here to Read the Letter Sent to Parents
Click Here to View a Letter Sent to Parent Regarding the Charges Against Lund
Click Here to View the Criminal Complaint (Part1)
Click Here to View the Criminal Complaint (Part 2)
A $5,000 signature bond had been set for an Antigo elementary school principal charged with eight felony marijuana charges including maintaining a drug trafficking house and delivering THC. John Lund, 47, made his initial appearance Monday in Langlade County Court. He is now free on bond. He'll return to court February 9 for a preliminary hearing.
Lund was on paid administrative leave from November 30 to January 24, but charges were not filed until January 20. NewsChannel 7 calculated the amount Lund collected over the course of his paid leave to be at least $12,000. He is paid 198 days out of the year and makes $73,414 annually, according to the school board. The District sent the following release Wednesday morning:
“In light of recent criminal charges, the Unified School District of Antigo has placed John Lund, principal of West and Pleasant View Elementary Schools, on unpaid leave. An internal investigation will continue in order to address claims involving the four other district employees on paid administrative leave. Following the investigation the Board will determine appropriate next steps.
Given the nature of the ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further on personnel matters at this time. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and communicate updated information as appropriate.
The Unified School District of Antigo is committed to providing a safe environment conducive to learning for all of our students. Our goal is to remain focused on providing our students with an excellent education, each and every day.”
The arrest stems from a drug investigation headed by Lt. Dan Bauknecht of the Langlade County Sheriffs Department that started in August.
Sheriff Bill Greening says this is only phase one of the investigation and he expects more arrests.
"I can't give you a time frame at this point as to when that might occur but I would certainly expect by the time this investigation is over there should be additional charges on additional people," he said.
On November 30, detectives interviewed Lund at Pleasant View Elementary School, where he was principal. Lund, 47, said that it was in the first part of November 2011, his brother-in-law, Bradley Maahs called wanting to know if anyone was looking for marijuana. According to the criminal complaint Lund obtained marijuana from Maahs and gave two bags to Scot Peterson. Lund told police he and Peterson used to “get stuff for each other.”
Scot Peterson, a former Antigo High School football coach and retired special education teacher, is facing 26 charges including manufacturing THC. His signature bond has been set at $10,000. He'll return to court February 6. According to a criminal complaint, during an investigation in November 2011, at the home of Peterson, 55, officers discovered marijuana and drug paraphernalia items. During the search Scot Peterson told detectives he bought about 3 1-oz. bags of marijuana from John Lund that month. Peterson told officers he normally bought marijuana from another man. Peterson said he had been selling marijuana to his friends for five years and would also deliver marijuana on roadsides, mostly near Bass Lake.
On December 5, detectives conducted a search warrant at the home of Bradley Maahs, 46. Maahs is Lund’s brother-in-law. Drugs and drug related items were discovered at his Wittenberg home. According to the criminal complaint, Maahs told authorities he sold marijuana “to get child support off his back.” He also admitted to delivering marijuana to John Lund about once a month. During his initial appearance in Langlade County Court on January 23, bond was set at $5,000. He charged with three counts of manufacturing THC.
The criminal complaint names several other individuals who admitted to buying marijuana from Peterson and Lund.
Sheriff Greening continues to ask the public to be patient, so the department can continue their investigation.
"It hasn't been an easy case and it's not gonna be an easy case for the community to have to deal with we understand that," Sheriff Greening said.
Cindy Fischer, who has been principal at Mattoon Elementary for the last five years assumed Mr. Lund’s duties at Pleasant View and West Elementary.
The Unified School District of Antigo, which employs Lund, released a statement January 20 saying, “In light of these new developments the Unified School District of Antigo will likely review Mr. Lund’s leave status.”
The district goes on to say, “The past month has been an unsettling period for the school district, parents and the Lund family. We have no formal comment regarding the charges at this time.”
NewsChannel 7 has been closely watching this story for developments. Click the links below to view related articles.
Dec. 7, 2011 Antigo Elementary Principal Placed on Administrative Leave
Dec. 8, 2011 Langlade Co. Sheriff Asks Residents to Be Patient During Investigation
Dec. 16, 2011 Antigo Principal John Lund Still on Administrative Leave
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