WOMAN WANTED TO CALL 911

A Middleton man charged with providing a fatal dose of heroin to a
20-year-old Madison woman prevented two people from calling 911 when
it became apparent she was suffering a medical emergency, according
to a criminal complaint.

"You're not putting this on me," Robert D. Steed allegedly told Elise
Schnitzler's friend. "You keep your mouth shut."

Steed, 37, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the May
17 death of Schnitzler, known as Nupie to her friends, as well as
three counts of delivering heroin.

According to a criminal complaint filed Friday in Dane County Circuit
Court, after Kellie M.L. Prager, 20, and Schnitzler injected heroin
that Steed allegedly gave them at an east side motel in exchange for
sex, Schnitzler began moaning. Prager told police that she knew
something was wrong and wanted to call 911, but Steed told her not to do so.

The two placed Schnitzler in the back seat of Steed's car, and Prager
again said she wanted to call 911, but Steed allegedly took
Schnitzler's cell phone from Prager.

They drove to Schnitzler's apartment and a neighbor of Schnitzler
noticed them carrying the woman to the porch of her apartment
building at 314 S. Hamilton St. The neighbor asked if he should call
911, but Steed allegedly told him, "No, everything is all right," the
complaint states.

The man went inside, trying to decide whether he should call 911.

Prager went into Schnitzler's apartment and tried to get a dose of
Narcan, which counteracts a heroin overdose, but said Schnitzler's
face and lips had begun to turn blue. Prager knocked on the door of
the man who had offered to call 911 and said, "You need to call an ambulance."

Schnitzler was dead by the time authorities arrived.

Prager, who allegedly arranged the sex-for-heroin deal, was charged
days later with delivering heroin. Her case is still pending.

Prager told police she knew the man who gave them the heroin only as
Pooh. Police later set up three controlled heroin purchases from
Steed, whose street name is Pooh.

On Aug. 23, a detective interrogated Steed, who was being held at the
Dodge County Jail for a probation violation stemming from threatening
telephone calls he allegedly made to his ex-girlfriend in July. Steed
denied providing the Schnitzler heroin, and said he had never seen
the woman, according to the complaint.

"I don't know the one girl, but yes, I went with Kellie to a motel
once," he reportedly said.

Steed is jailed on $30,000 bail.

Victim unidentified: Madison police still have not established the
identity of the woman killed in an accident Thursday night at the
intersection of Highway 30 and North Fair Oaks Avenue.

In a brief statement issued Friday afternoon, Police Department
spokesman Mike Hanson said an autopsy on the victim, thought to be 25
to 35 years old, failed to establish the identity. "The circumstances
surrounding her death are still uncertain at this time," Hanson also said.

The woman apparently was struck by a vehicle whose driver, who has
not been identified by police, stopped at the scene.

Hanson said "investigators are encouraging anyone who may be missing
a white, female friend or loved one between 25 and 35 to call the
Madison Police Department."

Reporter Mike Miller contributed to this story.