A Wisconsin man arrested by a state drug task force faces new charges after authorities say he had tried to arrange a hit on a drug informant.
Michael J. Estevez, of Egg Harbor, faces charges of conspiracy to commit a homicide, solicitation of first-degree intentional homicide and conspiracy to intimidate a witness, the Green Bay Press Gazette reported . He also faces three drug charges.
The Door-Kewaunee Drug Task Force arrested the 30-year-old in February on suspicion of dealing drugs.
An inmate in Estevez's housing unit at the Door County Jail informed staff that Estevez approached him about carrying out a "murder-for-hire."
"We take something like this very seriously, and we believed it to be real and thoroughly investigated," said Door County Sheriff Steve Delarwelle.
The inmate agreed to wear hidden recording equipment to let officers hear Estevez's plot. The investigation found that Estevez planned to kill the informant by overdose.
"In all my years, I don't recall anything like this," said Delarwelle, who's worked in the sheriff's department for more than 25 years. Such plots are typically associated with urban regions and aren't seen in Door County, he said.
Investigators also learned that the scheme involved Elizabeth Huettl, who police also arrested in February on suspicion of dealing drugs. Huettl, 29, lived with Estevez and communicated with the inmate about the murder plot. She now faces charges for first-degree intentional homicide along with previous charges of manufacturing and delivering heroin.
Estevez is scheduled to appear in court April 10, while Huettl will appear April 26.
