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Heroin charges filed after overdose

Waupaca police find woman on hotel floor

A couple staying at a Waupaca hotel face narcotics and child neglect charges after police responded to a reported heroin overdose.

Matthew A. Faude, 30, and Danielle J. Giwojna, 26, both of Withee, were charged with felony possession of narcotics, child neglect and possession of drug paraphernalia. Giwojna was charged with illegal possession of prescription drugs, and Faude was charged with possession of marijuana.

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Waupaca Police Officer Brett Rodenz was dispatched to Comfort Suites on Foxfire Drive in response to an ambulance call. When he entered the room, Rodenz saw Giwojna on the floor, not breathing, and Faude trying to resuscitate her.

According to the criminal complaint, Faude initially told Rodenz he did not know what type of drugs Giwojna had been using. He later said it was probably heroin.

Sgt. Kevin Studzinski and Deputy Bryan Strobusch, of the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office, arrived to assist. While they were questioning Faude, he reportedly pulled out a red tube commonly known as a “snort tube,” and admitted to using heroin. Faude said he had been smoking marijuana as well, but could not find it on the table where he left it.

Later, Faude’s friend, who was staying in another room at the hotel, told police he had taken the marijuana so Faude would not get into trouble. He gave the marijuana to the officer.

On Dec. 6, after Giwojna was released from the hospital, Rodenz took her into custody for questioning.

She told him she had been in Waupaca Thursday through Saturday and admitted to injecting heroin on Friday and snorting it on Saturday.

A nurse at the jail reported finding two half pills of Subutex among Giwojna’s belongings. Giwojna told Rodenz she used the drug for coming off of heroin, the complaint says.

She also reportedly told Rodenz that while she was in the bathroom shooting up heroin, her 2-year-old son was in the other room, watching TV.

Faude told investigators their son was in the same room while they were snorting heroin.

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