JANESVILLE
A video recording shows what authorities believe is a Janesville man delivering a fatal batch of suspected heroin to a man who overdosed in May, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Rock County Court.
Rock County prosecutors charged Lucas A. Jacobson, 23, of 1408 Hamilton Ave., with first-degree reckless homicide by delivering drugs in connection to the May 27 death of Walter “Jared” VanKraanen, 22, also of Janesville.
On the afternoon of May 26, VanKraanen reached out to Jacobson about buying drugs, according to the complaint. That night, it appears Jacobson went to Beloit to buy heroin, but the car was full of other people, so VanKraanen was not with him.
Jacobson wrote to VanKraanen, “I got that dub for you,” the complaint states. Jacobson asked to meet at “Bp,” and the two then had several phone calls.
Someone close to VanKraanen told police he had used heroin with Jacobson and others in the past, according to the complaint.
A detective listened to a call Jacobson made from the Rock County Jail, where he said he was praying for “5 in/5 out,” which likely is a reference to periods of prison time and extended supervision, according to the complaint.
In the call, Jacobson also said another woman he knows was a “snitch” and wanted the woman with whom he was speaking to make sure others knew about it, the complaint states.
To get a conviction before a jury on such a reckless homicide charge, the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt:
- The defendant delivered a substance.
- The substance was a controlled substance.
- The defendant knew or believed the substance was the controlled substance.
- The victim used the substance delivered by the defendant and died as a result.
It’s the last point that can be the most challenging to prove, especially in cases that have longer gaps in time between delivery and death than this case.
Video from the home where VanKraanen died shows him leaving at about 10:23 p.m. May 26 and returning at 10:51 p.m., the complaint states.
Based on video from a convenience store on Milton Avenue, prosecutors believe Jacobson delivered the drugs between 10:28 and 10:32 p.m.
Police were sent to the home in the 300 block of South Washington Street at 2:31 a.m., and emergency responders stopped life-saving measures at 3:02 a.m., according to the complaint.
The medical examiner’s office found VanKraanen died of an acute fentanyl intoxication, the complaint states.
VanKraanen, who attended Parker High School and Rock River Charter School, had a son and two daughters, according to his obituary.
VanKraanen’s was not the first loss for his immediate family, which previously lost his brother, Austin. There were three surviving siblings listed in the May obituary.
He was born in Janesville at Mercyhealh Hospital and Trauma Center and liked to hike, fish, camp, swim, be outdoors and spend time with friends.
He also loved animals and his dog, Poppy.
“Nothing gave him more joy than spending time with his beautiful children,” the obituary states. “He will be missed and loved by all who knew him.”
Court Commissioner Jack Hoag on Tuesday ordered Jacobson held on a $15,000 cash bond.
The attorney who represented Jacobson during Tuesday’s hearing, Jason Sanders, said the amount didn’t matter as much because Jacobson would be sitting in custody anyway because of a previous case.
Assistant District Attorney Cheniqua White said Jacobson has missed court appearances on his record as well as other criminal convictions.
Jacobson is next scheduled to make an adjourned initial appearance at 3 p.m. Thursday.
