Wausau area man sentenced in federal drug case

By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review

A Weston man will spend seven years in federal prison for his role in a drug distribution scheme in the Wausau area, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

Jacob L. Gould was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge William Conley for possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Gould was indicted in June and on Oct. 25 pleaded guilty to the drug charge, court records show.

An investigation began in January 2023 after several confidential informants pointed shared information about Gould’s activities. After learning Gould had visited the location of his drug supplier, officers tried to stop him but he fled, leading investigators on a high speed chase that reached speeds of more than 110 mph.

Following the arrest, investigators from the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, with the assistance of the Everest Metro Police Department, said they searched Gould’s home in Weston where they found additional drugs. Investigators seized 15 grams of fentanyl, 63 grams of methamphetamine, 175 grams of THC, 0.5 grams of cocaine, and one firearm from the home, court records show.At sentencing, Judge Conley described Gould’s fentanyl trafficking as a serious offense that endangered the community.

The charge against Gould was the result of an investigation conducted by FBI’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, comprised of investigators from the FBI, Everest Metro Police Department, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Wausau Police Department and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program, with the assistance of the Marathon County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anita Marie Boor and Jennifer Remington prosecuted this case.