A look at the work history of DCI agents who fired weapons during Quadren Wilson arrest

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The two DCI agents who fired their weapons during the arrest of Quadren Wilson back in February do not have any records in their files with the Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation related to “the discharge of a firearm.” That’s according to an open records request response from the DOJ.

The two agents who fired their weapons on the scene were identified as DCI Special Agents Mark Wagner and Nathan Peskie. A DOJ spokesperson confirmed with NBC15 that both agents were put on paid administrative leave beginning February 3.

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office states Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation agents were working with federal agents and local officers to arrest Quadren Wilson on Feb. 3 near the intersection of American Parkway and East Park Boulevard.

Wilson was wanted on an outstanding Department of Corrections warrant related to a parole violation and was the subject of an ongoing investigation, officials noted.

Other documents from the DOJ released through an open records request gives more light to the employment history of Wagner and Peskie.

Records show Peskie started working as a Special Agent in the Madison office of the DCI back in September of 2014. Before that he worked as an officer with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and before that, as an officer with Big Cedar Lake Patrol, Fall Creek Police Department, Augusta Police Department, Fairchild Police Department and the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office.

His employment dates back to 2002. Multiple training courses that he completed are also listed including subjects like “WI Joint Tactical Team”, vehicle pursuit training, cryptocurrency, and a handgun qualification course to name a few.

Records show Mark Wagner started working for DCI as a Special Agent un the Narcotics Unit back in August 2017. Before signing on with DCI, he worked for the Milwaukee Police Department for 23 years and then he retired. He is listed as being an “instructor” for about a month before joining DCI between working for the two departments.

Training courses he has completed include things like a handgun qualification course, joint tactical team training, multijurisdictional counterdrug task force training and vehicle pursuit training to name a few.

During his time at the Milwaukee Police Department, Wagner totaled 17 different internal affairs disciplinary, or IAD, cases in his employment case file. Of those 17, a dozen are complaints submitted by citizens within the span of 10 years. He was accused of things like making false arrests, improper use of force and battery. All those cases were “unfounded” after an investigation was done.

There are three cases where he got in car crashes or was accused of improper driving, one case of not taking care of department equipment, and one report of leaving his gun in a bag in plain sight in his improperly parked squad car. After investigating, these five cases were founded. Officer Wagner was suspended three separate times for a total of five days.

The sheriff’s office stated it would turn over all investigative reports to the Dane Co. District Attorney’s Office when it completes its investigation.

“Sheriff Kalvin Barrett remains committed to conducting a methodical, objective and transparent investigation,” a spokesperson for the department stated. “The mission of our investigation is to determine the facts and report the truth. We do not have any additional facts to release at the time.”

Medical records released show after Wilson was admitted to UW Health’s emergency department, he had five wounds and a cut. Most of the wounds were to his back. Medical notes from the trauma doctors also indicate Wilson didn’t have much feeling from his stomach down at the time of his admission.

A charge against Wilson ties him to an overdose death that happened in a McDonald’s bathroom. The charge accuses him of providing the drugs that claimed the man’s life. The criminal complaint alleges a single count of manufacturing and delivering of narcotics, with a repeater enhancer.

Prosecutors did not reveal if this allegation is what precipitated Wilson’s arrest. Law enforcement, as well, have not given any clues to why Wilson was arrested, nor why local, state, and federal agents were involved.

The 38-year-old Beaver Dam man was arrested on Feb. 3 near a carpark, at the intersection of American Parkway and East Park Blvd., on the city’s east side. During the encounter, two agents with the state Dept. of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation fired their weapons, the Dane Co. Sheriff’s Office has reported.

Eleven more DCI agents as well as three DEA agents, a trio of officers from the Madison Police Dept., a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper, and a Dept. of Natural Resources warden – 21 people, in all – participated in the arrest. MPD has previously stated that its officers were working the perimeter of the scene and did not see the shooting.

According to court records, Wilson has a separate open case against him in which he is charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful phone use, both of which have domestic abuse assessments.