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Ruth Kapanke, 58, took the drugs from the home of a friend she was helping care for, said La Crosse County District Attorney Scott Horne. She's a nurse at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, but wasn't caring for the woman professionally, he said.
Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Wolf said he arrested Ruth Kapanke for possession of a prescription drug without a prescription, possession of a controlled substance and theft Thursday after questioning her about missing painkillers.
She was released on her own recognizance and will appear in court June 17.
At an emotional press conference Thursday afternoon, Dan Kapanke said Ruth "understands she has a problem and she's ready to deal with it."
"She started this because of a chronic back pain she's had for quite a while," Dan Kapanke said. "I was aware of her situation from a few years back with her back, but I wasn't aware she was using a painkiller now."
"She feels like she's let a lot of people down, and that's not the issue," he said, noting they've contacted her doctor about treatment. "She will follow through, and the legal process will take its natural course."
Ruth Kapanke is co-owner, with her husband, of the La Crosse Loggers baseball team. She's a member of the French Island Beautification Committee, and has worked for many years as a nurse. They have been married 35 years and live in the French Island home where Ruth grew up.
Dan Kapanke, a Republican, was elected to the 31st District state Senate seat last November.
Horne, also a Republican, said Dan and Ruth Kapanke have cooperated fully with investigators, and have asked for no special favors.
Because of a possible conflict of interest, Horne has asked Trempealeau County District Attorney Jeri Marsolek to act as a special prosecutor. Horne said he has worked on Dan Kapanke's campaigns and is a friend of the couple.
While Marsolek is a former La Crosse County assistant DA, Horne said he chose her because she doesn't live in Kapanke's district and because she is a Democrat.
"It's an offense where normally the focus of the justice system would be to deal with the addiction, given the fact that it did not involve deliveries to other people and given the fact that Ruth is a responsible person in life," Horne said. "But any decisions about the case will be made by the special prosecutor."
La Crosse County Circuit Judge Dennis Montabon approved releasing Ruth Kapanke on a signature bond, Horne said.
Horne said he hopes the case shows what otherwise responsible people will do when they become addicted to prescription medication.
"I hope Ruth will get the help she needs in dealing with this," Horne said. "And, perhaps more importantly, people who may be suffering from an addiction to pain killers will see that the wife of a state senator needs help in dealing with that addiction and that will encourage them to seek the help they need."
Wolf said it is very common for his office to investigate cases where people will forge prescriptions or steal drugs because they have become addicted.
"It's not uncommon for everyday citizens, all the way up to professional athletes like Brett Favre, to have a problem and admit to it," Wolf said.
For more on this story, including Dan Kapanke's full statement, go to www.rivervalleyblogs.com.
