Stephen Preisler, a.k.a. "Uncle Fester" appears in Brown County court, Sept. 12, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The author known as “Uncle Fester” was convicted of several drug-related and bail jumping charges in a plea deal Friday.
Stephen Preisler, 68, gained renown under the name “Uncle Fester” for his books on how to make ricin, methamphetamine and other drugs. In July 2023, he was charged in Brown County with multiple drug manufacturing and delivery counts after items were seized from his Baird Street home. Since then, additional charges have been added.
Under the plea deal, Preisler pleaded no contest to eight total charges and entered an Alford plea to two charges. In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains his innocence, but acknowledges the state has enough evidence for a conviction.
When the judge asked Preisler if he understood the Alford plea, Preisler tried to explain some of the drugs in his house.
“In the matter of the couple of eight balls found laying on the floor of my bedroom, I was gone to work for the day. They weren’t in my possession, just laying out on the floor,” he said.
“I saw the cam footage there. Yes, they were laying on the floor of my bedroom while I was gone to work with a nest full of drug-hungry people sitting around my house.”
Four more charges were dismissed, but the judge may consider them at sentencing, which is set for July 16.
The plea deal resolves four cases in Brown County and he avoids a jury trial that would have been held later this month.
The first criminal complaint in Brown County alleged the amount of methamphetamines allegedly found in his home could last the average user anywhere from 328 days to over 3,000 days. Preisler has repeatedly disputed that the items seized were illegal substances.
Preisler was sentenced last month to 15 months in prison for violating terms of his probation in Waupaca County. He was also previously sentenced to one year in prison for probation violations in Brown County.
Preisler also faces a civil suit filed by the city of Green Bay, seeking to have his home declared a public nuisance in order to be sold or razed. That action is still pending.
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