On October 31, 2022, Ted Wise was arrested on a bench warrant for missing court dates related to a 2020 domestic battery case and was lodged on the third floor of the Winnebago County Jail on November 6, 2022. His cellmate later said Ted appeared to be suffering from alcohol withdrawal and that he encouraged him to seek help as his condition worsened. The cellmate attempted to get attention by banging on the door, and when that failed, Ted pressed the emergency button.
According to the cellmate, Ted then fell back and suffered a seizure. Corrections Officer Jared Petrus called a medical code, but Ted Wise was pronounced dead in the jail by the Rockford Fire Department.
This incident was the 32nd case investigated and deemed justified by the Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force and was the fourth death in the Winnebago County Jail investigated and justified by the task force in 2022..