Housing yet to be approved in Emerald for sex offender
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
By Amber Hayden
EMERALD— St. Croix County has yet to approve the housing for sex offender Christopher Mikulski who will be moved to the Town of Emerald upon release.
On January 25 the State of Wisconsin closed on a home in Emerald at 2253 170th Ave. which will become the residence for Mikulski who will be on supervised release.
According to Wisconsin Act 184, legislators wanted to put the decisions back into the hands of the counties that the sexual offenders would be residing in.
Before each release, a 980 committee is formed for the purpose of laying out guidelines under which some serious sex offenders may live in following their sentencing.
A 980 committee is a mandated temporary committee formed by the county that prepares the report sent to the Department of Health Services.
Each committee is made up of a representative of the Department of Health Services, a local probation or parole officer, the county corporation counsel, and a representative of the county that is responsible for land use planning or the county shall identify an appropriate residential option while Mikulski is on supervised release.
Assistant Corporation Counsel member Elizabeth Rohl explained that Saint Croix County had yet to receive the approval from the committee on the residential housing for Mikulski.
“If the court approves those plans, further discussion will be had between the Department of Health Services, the Department of Corrections and local law enforcement to finalize details such as release date and community notifications,” Rohl explained.
In order for the residence to be deemed fit the home must be at least 1,500 feet from any school, child care facility, public park, place of worship or youth center.
According to a report submitted by Rohl the residence is in a rural area of the county and only one residence currently exists on the four surrounding properties.
Before Mikulski is released the state will notify law enforcement and the Department of Corrections who will in turn finalize a release date and decide when community notifications will occur.
Mikulski is currently being housed at Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston, WI.