Woman charged in drug, torture cases loses bid for release

A woman who was charged earlier this year with running a drug house in Port Washington, then, after being released on bail, was arrested again and accused of interrogating a man as he was being tortured in her home, pleaded with an Ozaukee County judge Monday to release her from jail while she awaits trial.

The irony of Sandra J. Koziol’s bail modification request was not lost on Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol, who noted that after being arrested in connection with the Feb. 2 raid of her house she was released from jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.

A month after her release, Koziol, 58, was arrested again after a man told authorities he escaped from her house across from St. Mary’s Church, where he was tortured by two unknown men while Koziol grilled him about what he told authorities.

A search of her house found it was strewn with drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case.

“It is alleged the defendant in consort with two unknown individuals essentially tortured (a man) who they thought was the snitch,” Gerol said during Monday’s hearing.

Also while free on bail, Koziol was arrested on March 2 in Bayside in a car that contained “a fairly significant amount of methamphetamine” and faces possible charges in Milwaukee County, Gerol said.

Koziol’s bail in the Ozaukee County cases is now set at $75,000 and $55,000, and that is where it’s going to stay, Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Steve Cain ruled.

“The main concern of the court is witness intimidation,” he said. “I have no idea if you will be in contact with them to threaten or even harm them.”

Koziol said, “He wasn’t even a witness,” referring to the man who was tortured in her house.

“I’m innocent until proven guilty,” she said, sobbing. “Please don’t let me lose my business or my house.”

According to a motion filed by Koziol’s lawyer, Perry Lieuallen, she owns Sandstone Homes Corp. of Port Washington.

Koziol is charged with maintaining a drug trafficking place and possession of methamphetamine in the first case and two counts of bail jumping, possession of methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs, intimidation of a witness and false imprisonment, all felonies, as well as one misdemeanor count of battery in the second case.

She pleaded not guilty to those charges Monday and requested a speedy trial in the second case, which is now set to begin on Aug. 10.

The initial case against Koziol stems from an Ozaukee County Anti-Drug Task Force investigation that began after authorities received reports she and her son, Blaine Koziol, 24, were selling drugs from her house at 110 E. Van Buren St. Authorities who took and inspected bags of garbage left at the curb in front of the house found evidence of drug activity involving heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine, the complaint states.

At 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, authorities set off a flash-bang, or stun, grenade outside the house, then entered the home to find Blaine Koziol and his girlfriend in the basement, where he said they lived. 

Sandra Koziol was not home, and Austyn R. Wolford, 24, who also lived at the house, came home when authorities were there. Wolford is charged as a repeat offender with misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

In Sandra Koziol’s upstairs bedroom, authorities found a glass pipe and bong, methamphetamine residue on a mirror and bags commonly used to package drugs, according to the complaint.

In Wolford’s bedroom, they found bongs, marijuana and BHO, or butane hash oil, wax, a concentrated form of cannabis extract that contains the active ingredient in marijuana, the complaint states.

In the basement, where Blaine Koziol lived, authorities found pipes, bongs, BHO wax, a digital scale with marijuana residue on it and a money counter, according to the complaint.

A safe found in a basement closet contained $7,706 in cash, 43.2 grams of marijuana and BHO wax.

An inspection of Blaine Koziol’s cell phone revealed multiple messages about drug deals, the complaint states.

Blain Koziol, who is free in lieu of $5,000 bail, is charged with maintaining a drug trafficking place and possession with intent to deliver marijuana. He also pleaded not guilty Monday.

Sandra Koziol was released from jail in lieu of $5,000 bail on Feb. 15 and a month later was arrested again after a man appeared on the doorstep of an assisted living facility near her home on March 16 seeking help.

The man, who Sandra Koziol thought provided information that resulted in the raid of her house, told authorities that he had escaped from Koziol’s house, where she had asked him “Who have you been talking to?” and “Did you talk to the police?” while two men he did not know beat him early on Tuesday, March 16, according to a criminal compliant filed in that case.

Officers who responded to the assisted living facility said the man was bleeding, bruised and “appeared to have been severely beaten up,” the complaint states.

The man said he was confronted at Koziol’s house by two unknown men who burned and beat him and threatened him with brass knuckles in an effort to extort information that they thought he had given authorities. Sandra Koziol, he said, participated in the questioning, and although she initially seemed to be trying to stop the men, she kept asking questions as the beating continued, according to the complaint. 

When officers went to Koziol’s house, they found an ice pick near the entrance and a large amount of blood. Officers said no one answered the door when they knocked so, concerned there may be victims inside, they entered the house and found Sandra Koziol, who berated one of the officers and told him he had no right to be in her house, the complaint states.

After obtaining a warrant, authorities searched the house and found a bloody chair, blood spatter and a bloody handprint on the wall near the front door. A boot that matched the one the victim was wearing when he escaped was also near the front door, and throughout the house there was drug paraphernalia, according to the complaint.

Also found in the house were what authorities suspect are two “rocks” of heroin, methamphetamine, used syringes and drug pipes. In Sandra Koziol’s office, officers found a shopping bag that contained $4,130 in cash and a drug scale. In her bedroom, they found a plastic bag of pills that appeared to be packaged for sale and drug paraphernalia, the complaint states.