The approaching release and placement of a violent sex offender has the Washington County Sheriff voicing his objections to the proposed release location. Sheriff Martin Schulteis says his office got notice from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services concerning the plans to place the offender, classified as a Sexually Violent Person who was convicted in Outagamie County in July of 1997. Once his sentence is complete, state law requires he reside in a location determined by the DHS as the most appropriate location. Sheriff Schulteis says he was notified that a Community Based Residential Facility on Eastwood Trail in the Town of Trenton was being considered. That’s about 10 miles southwest of Random Lake in Washington County, just east of West Bend.
Given the individual’s history and the potential risks related to his release, Sheriff Schulteis said he has “profound concerns about both the ethical appropriateness and the legality” of those plans. He said that the offender previously violated conditions of supervised release, and was never a resident of, or convicted of crimes Washington County.
The Sheriff’s Office is now canvassing over 120 homes within 1500 feet of the proposed location, hoping to disqualify the placement on statutory and ethical grounds. Leadership of both Washington County and the Town of Trenton are also actively exploring their legal options.
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