Porteous sentenced to jail for drug and neglect of a child charges

A former Cobb woman, 49-year-old Julie Porteous, was sentenced to twelve months of conditional jail with Huber in the Iowa County Jail, and a nine-year Wisconsin State Prison sentence (4 years initial confinement, 5 years extended supervision), which was imposed/stayed, for Felony possession with intent to deliver Fentanyl and a Misdemeanor Neglecting a Child (Specified Harm Did Not Occur).

Porteous was in Iowa County Court on Thursday, June 5th with her attorney Mark Frank.  The Assistant District Attorney Curtis Johnson was in court for the State of Wisconsin.  Judge Matthew Allen presiding. 

A pre-sentence investigation by the Department of Corrections was received and reviewed by both parties.   The PSI recommended probation.  Johnson disagreed with the PSI findings and initially argued for an eight-year prison sentence (3 years confinement, 5 years extended supervision).  He said Porteous has a long history of drug-related issues citing several cases where she would drive to Madison, buy drugs, and distribute in Iowa County.  Four of those cases resulted in her giving friends drugs and they overdosed.  

He said she was a menace to society, she didn’t follow rules, and that the public needed to be protected from her saying she put her so-called friends at risk by distributing drugs, dealing Fentanyl in her home with her underage son in the house, and consistently wasted County resources regarding Medical, and EMS, Law Enforcement, and Court.  

Frank agreed with the PSI saying no jail time should be handed down as she has been crime-free for a year and that she is turning things around.  He said she would be a good candidate for probation.  Porteous told the court she was sorry for her actions, she knew she was on the wrong path.  She said she has a full-time job now and is living with her parents.

Judge Allen said the details are aggravating in that she caused four overdoses in the past four years.  He said the gravity of the offenses is very serious and also stated that in the past she has completed probation for similar charges, only to commit more drug crimes once her probation was over.  

Dismissed but read in was a Felony possession with intent to deliver Methamphetamine, a felony charge of maintaining a drug trafficking place, a misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, and six charges of felony bail jumping.  

The conditions of her probation include enrollment in and successful completion of the Iowa County Drug Treatment Court, counseling as recommended by the DOC, AODA, and follow-through recommendations, as well as being subject to random drug testing as directed by the DOC. The conditions of her 12 months of conditional jail time include Huber for work purposes, but do not allow for electronic monitoring.  

She would have two days of pre-sentence credit, which would be applied to her prison sentence if probation was revoked.