Charged with drug-induced homicide in McHenry County, Wisconsin man seeks lower bond

A Wisconsin man charged with delivering the fatal dose of heroin to a Hebron man in January 2022 remains in the McHenry County jail in lieu of a $250,000 bond.

Michael F. Walach, 62, of the 3800 block of 40th Street in Kenosha Wisconsin, is charged with drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony, as well as delivery of less than a gram of heroin, according to the criminal complaint.

Conviction on a Class X felony can carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Walach was extradited Friday from Kenosha County Jail, where he had been held since July 31, and taken into custody at the McHenry County jail, according to the county jail log and Kenosha County records.

He would need to post $25,000 cash to be released from the county jail. A hearing to address Walach’s request for a reduction in his bond was scheduled for Wednesday.

Walach, who was represented by the public defender’s office at his first court appearance Tuesday, is accused of delivering less than a gram of heroin to Stefan J. Bruckner at 2 p.m. Jan. 15, 2022. Bruckner then “insufflated (snorted) a portion” of the heroin, leading to his death, according to the complaint.

In an online obituary, Bruckner, 45, of Hebron, is said to have died in Woodstock on Jan. 19.

Bruckner’s cause of death was the adverse effects of morphine and the manner was accidental, McHenry County Coroner Michael Rein said in an email.

Bruckner was a “tremendously talented mechanic [who] prided himself in working for Woodstock Harley Davidson,” according to the obituary. “He was a kind and generous man always willing to help anyone in need.”