[kenoshanews.com – 11/28/20] On any given day, anyone in Wisconsin can look up the name, address, photo, age and other identifying information on sex offenders in their area who have been placed on the state’s sex offender registry. Established in 1997, the registry was created with the aim of making communities safer, said Sarah Wescott, corrections services supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Wescott also manages the registry with other DOC staff. … The registry includes all sex offenders who live in the state, even those who were convicted…
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WI: A convicted sex offender has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Muskego’s rules that restrict where he can live
[amp.jsonline.com – 7/28/20] A convicted sex offender has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Muskego’s rules that restrict where he can live, or whether he can live in the city at all. In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee, Ronald E. Schroeder said the city’s ordinances violates his constitutional rights by preventing his move from Waukesha to Muskego, where he has been invited to live at the home of a woman who is a longtime friend. Schroeder, 50, is residing in Waukesha on a temporary living plan after his…
Read MoreWI: People living near violent sex offenders push for changes to state’s Chapter 980 law
Kristine Knickmeier, Kelly Kopecky and Tom Hergert did not know each other before last summer, but are now united in a fight to make changes to how violent sex offenders are placed under the state’s Chapter 980 law. Knickmeier lives in Stoughton. She can see one home housing violent sex offenders out her front door. There’s another down the road. “It does affect people and you never know the next time there’s a for sale sign, who’s moving in,” she said. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Fond du Lac council mulls ordinance to restrict sex offender placement near parks, schools
[fdlreporter.com – 1/23/20] FOND DU LAC – Should the city regulate the distance from which sex offenders can reside from parks, schools and child-care facilities? Fond du Lac City Council members considered this possibility during its meeting Wednesday night, receiving input from Fond du Lac Police Chief William Lamb and City Attorney Deborah Hoffman about the need for such an ordinance and its legality. Council member Daniel Degner presented the issue to council, stating it was one of the reasons he ran in 2019 for the seat. In 2018, Degner circulated a petition…
Read MoreWI: WISCONSIN CAME CLOSE TO CHANGING A RULE THAT OFTEN LEAVES PEOPLE ON SEX OFFENSE REGISTRIES HOMELESS
Republicans are leading an effort to get rid of blanket restrictions on where some people with sex-offense records can live. A Democratic governor is blocking them. Full Article
Read MoreWI: 65 percent of registered sex offenders approved for Green Bay housing exemption since Nov. 2018
[nbc26.com – 11/28/19] Darlene Esquivel did not want Theodore Blazek to be able to live next door. Blazek, a registered sex offender convicted of possession of child pornography, asked for an exemption to a Green Bay ordinance that bars registered sex offenders with a conviction involving children from living within 1,500 feet of schools, parks, and playgrounds. Blazek declined an on-camera interview, but said he is not a threat and wants to live in the home because he owns it. Esquivel said she told her nine-year-old daughter about Blazek’s history.…
Read MoreWI: Gov. Tony Evers Vetoes Changes To Sex Offender Residency Requirements
[wpr.org – 11/25/19] Measure Passed Legislature With Unanimous Vote, Bipartisan Support Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have lifted state restrictions on how close people convicted of sex crimes can live to schools. The bill, which passed the state Assembly and Senate unanimously, would have repealed a state law that bars sexually violent persons from living less than 1,500 feet from schools, public parks, places of worship or youth centers. The bill would also have required offenders be placed in their home county after being released from…
Read MoreWI: Nonprofit trying to find homes for those living in ‘Tent City’
[wisn.com – 10/22/19] The homeless in Milwaukee’s Tent City have less than two weeks to clear out after the Wisconsin Department of Transportation ordered them out by Oct. 31 to make way for a construction project. A federally funded nonprofit is taking on the mission of finding everyone a home to avoid forcing people out at the end of the month. … ______ is a convicted sex offender and now no one will take him in. “It sucks. It’s cold. There’s help for people. But most of them, it’s help…
Read MoreWI: Sun Prairie 17-year-old charged with 2 felonies for allegedly sexually assaulting teammate
[channel3000.com – 9/26/19] MADISON, Wis. – A Sun Prairie teenager has been charged for an alleged incident in August when deputies said he sexually assaulted his football teammate. ______, 17, appeared in Dane County Court on Thursday, where he was charged with felony second-degree sexual assault, felony sexual exploitation of a child through filming and misdemeanor battery. In court Thursday morning, the judge ordered ____ to not have any contact with the other teens involved in the incident, not disseminate any pictures or video of the alleged victim online or…
Read MoreWI: Rhinelander Common Council approves new sex offenders ordinance
[starjournalnow.com – 8/13/19] The Rhinelander Common Council met Monday and held the final public hearing for the new sex offender ordinance. No concerns or questions regarding the ordinance were brought forth at the public hearing, and the council approved the new ordinance unanimously. The sex offender ordinance limits registered sex offender housing and activity areas within proximity to places where children are present such as schools, playgrounds and parks. It also limits holiday events in which sex offenders can participate such as disallowing handing out candy to trick-or-treaters or dressing…
Read MoreWI: Students can face fines for sexting in Pewaukee
[cbs58.com – 8/9/19] PEWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) – The Village of Pewaukee is taking action to address the prevalence of sexting among minors by enacting an ordinance that allows police to issue citations for those caught exchanging nude photos or videos through electronic devices. “The whole idea is to change children’s behavior,” said Chief Timothy Heier of the Pewaukee Police Department. “Get them to stop and make better choices in life.” Sexting is not unique to the Village of Pewaukee. A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association…
Read MoreWI: City must set aside emotion on sex offenders
[lakegenevanews.net – 7/3/19] I know how people feel about sex offenders. I agree that sex crimes are reprehensible, especially those in which children are the victims. Such offenders often face long prison sentences or long commitments inside mental health treatment centers. And rightfully so. But after they are released from custody — after they have paid their dues to society — these offenders have rights just like any other American citizen. Among other things, they have a right to live wherever they choose. I know that is difficult to hear.…
Read MoreWI, IL: Wisconsin, Illinois sued over transgender name-change laws
[washingtonpost.com – 5/1/19] Attorneys sued Wisconsin and Illinois Wednesday over laws that forbid transgender individuals from changing their names if they have certain criminal convictions. Both federal lawsuits argue that the states are violating free speech rights and are preventing people from expressing how they identify themselves. “The impact on their lives is severe. This is an issue of equality and equal participation in society,” said Lark Mulligan, an attorney who filed the Illinois lawsuit. Mulligan, who is a transgender woman, noted “all the times that people are forced to…
Read MoreWI: Fairchild residents up in arms over sex offender housing plan
[leadertelegram.com – 3/26/19] Fairchild residents came out in force Tuesday to share their objections to a plan to potentially house released sexual predators in the community. Nearly 40 Fairchild area residents packed into a small meeting room Tuesday morning at the Eau Claire County Courthouse to express their outrage at the possibility of housing sex offenders on supervised release at a facility on county-owned land about 1¼ miles northwest of Fairchild. Their comments came during a meeting of Eau Claire County’s Supervised Release Committee, which is tasked with identifying a…
Read MoreWI: For now, sex offenders will not be allowed to move into the village of Hartland
Members of the Hartland Village Board have voted to begin work on an ordinance that will restrict where sex offenders can live. In the meantime, the village will not allow any new offenders to move into the village. … The moratorium states that sex offenders cannot move into Hartland until the village’s average amount of sex offenders living in the village is the same as the rest of the county. Full Article
Read MoreWI: 10 things new data shows about sex offenses in central Wisconsin
Most victims of sex crimes in Wisconsin are teenagers. And most sex offenders are teens under 18, too. That’s according to recently released data from the Wisconsin Department of Justice on criminal sex offenses, broken down by county. The figures provide a detailed look into the frequency and nature of these crimes in our communities, as reported by local law enforcement. It’s important to remember, however, that not all sex crimes are reflected in these offenses — police crime statistics don’t represent all crime. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Here’s why it’s time to reconsider sex offender residency restrictions
[kenoshanews.com – 7/12/18] Nicholas Fitzpatrick is now homeless. After serving time for sexual assault — he pleaded guilty to having sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend when he was 17 — Fitzpatrick hoped to move into a home in Trevor. However, that home is less than 1,000 feet from a tiny park known as Jason’s Pond, and that runs afoul of Salem Lakes’ sex offender residency rules. So he appealed to the Village Board for an exemption. Several relatives and residents spoke on his behalf. Fitzpatrick told the board he earned…
Read MoreWI: Supreme Court rules sex offender can be tried as adult for crime committed at age 9
A convicted sex offender in Wisconsin seemed to believe he was off the hook when police learned that he allegedly committed a sexual assault at the age of 9. Full Article Decision Related In Wisconsin, we can send people to prison for things they did when they were 5
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