Sentence changed for repeat animal abuse offender

Wisconsin GOP lawmakers propose death penalty for child sex crimes

Lawmakers send bill criminalizing sexual grooming of children to Evers

From JSOnline:

Jessie Opoien

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON – An effort to criminalize and prevent the sexual grooming of children is on its way to Gov. Tony Evers' desk for his signature.

The state Senate voted unanimously to pass the measure Wednesday, and a spokeswoman confirmed the governor plans to sign it.

Under the bill, which passed the Assembly last month with six Democrats voting no, it would be a felony offense for an adult to engage in "a course of conduct, pattern of behavior, or series of acts with the intention to condition, seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child" for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse or sexual contact, or to create and distribute child pornography.

Examples of behavior that could constitute grooming under the legislation include written or spoken communications as well as physical contact.

More: Wisconsin teen died after sextortion in March. Now, it's legally a crime.

Bill author Sen. Jesse James, R-Altoona, said that adding the definition would assist law enforcement in fully prosecuting such cases.

"My time as a law enforcement officer has shown me that grooming is frequently a deliberate, gradual process that causes substantial harm and trauma," James told reporters before the vote on Feb. 11. "I am a grandpa. I can't bear to think of the many dangers my grandkids will face. However, with this bill, I can sleep just a little bit better. This has a powerful deterrence effect and says our kids are not targets."

If convicted, a person could face between 10 and 25 years in prison, depending on who the person is to the child and whether the child has a disability, among other factors that could increase penalties. Those convicted of grooming would be required to register with the Department of Corrections as a sex offender.

According to an analysis from the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau, the crime does not apply to a person who is 18 or under if it involves a child who is not more than four years younger than the person, unless the violation involves force, coercion, or abuse of a position of trust or authority over the child.

In testimony on the bill last month, co-author Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, commended previous efforts to crack down on sexual misconduct against children, including a bill signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers in 2024 criminalizing sexual misconduct committed against a student by a school staff member or volunteer. 

But she noted there are still cases where prosecutors have lacked the proper authority to pursue strong penalties against predatory adults. This bill builds on that law by making grooming a crime "not just in schools, but in any other situation in which it may apply."

The bill "puts a clear definition" into law and gives law enforcement tools "to keep our kids safe," Sen. John Jagler, R-Watertown, said before the vote.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/11/lawmakers-send-bill-criminalizing-sexual-grooming-of-children-to-evers/88633224007/

Slender Man stabbing defendant found in Illinois after escaping group home

From JSOnline:

Anna Kleiber

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Morgan Geyser, who was charged with attempted homicide at age 12 after saying she stabbed a friend to appease the fictional Slender Man, was taken into custody in Illinois a day after escaping a group home, according to the Madison Police Department.

Geyser, now 23, went missing from her group home Nov. 22 after she cut off her Department of Corrections monitoring bracelet. She had last been seen in the area of Kroncke Drive around 8 p.m. with an adult acquaintance, according to Madison police.

It remains unclear why 12 hours passed between when she was last seen and when police and the public were notified.

She was taken into custody in Illinois around 10:34 p.m. Nov. 23, police said.

She had been granted conditional release earlier this year after a judge he saw no risk to the public or to her.

Geyser and co-defendant Anissa Weier were charged with the attempted homicide of their friend Payton Leutner, whom Geyser stabbed 19 times near Davids Park in Waukesha in May 2014. All three girls were 12 years old at the time.

Geyser and Weier said they believed they were doing the bidding of the fictional online character Slender Man. They were found not guilty by reason of mental defect or disease in 2017 and sentenced to mental confinement, Weier for 25 years, and Geyser for 40 years.

Anna Kleiber can be reached at akleiber@gannett.com.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2025/11/23/slender-man-stabbing-defendant-morgan-geyser-found-after-escaping-group-home/87442602007/

Never, ever, trust "mental health experts."  They are often menially ill themselves - that's why they got into the business in the first place.  I've met dozens of them. 

Wisconsin sex offender checks for trick-or-treating | FOX6 News Milwaukee

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Registered sex offender charged with possessing child porn, other crimes

From The Journal Times.com:

Annie Pulley

RACINE — A 41-year-old registered sex offender was arrested after Racine County Sheriff’s Office investigators searched his home March 3.

Edgar Cruz was charged with nine counts of possessing child pornography; one count of intentionally possessing a child sex doll; one count of sex offender fail/update information; and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia.

Each count, except the drug charge, is a felony.

Cruz’s cash bail was set at $100,000. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing March 12.

Cruz, according to Journal Times records, is the 10th Racine County resident to be charged with possessing child pornography in 2025.

Allegations

According to a criminal complaint, last November, investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children unit, a division of RCSO, began looking into cyber tips indicating a Racine resident had been engaging with child sexual abuse material, or child pornography, online.

The tips were related to a single IP address, which investigators connected to the 800 block of Berkeley Drive.

Investigators learned Cruz previously lived there and that he was being supervised by the state Department of Corrections.

According to online court records, Cruz was convicted of second-degree child sexual assault in connection to a case filed in 2007.

Cruz’s probation was revoked in 2015, and he was sentenced to eight years in prison and six years of extended supervision, according to RCSO.

On March 3, investigators searched Cruz’s current residence in the 1700 block of Grange Avenue, which is near a school playground.

Investigators reportedly found illegal images and videos on a messaging account belonging to Cruz, and he reportedly admitted to sending child pornography to random people through a messaging app.

Investigators also reportedly found an object believed to have been molded to resemble a small child, and Cruz reportedly said his DNA would be on the object.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_fe25c370-f93f-11ef-a283-7fa79ed9a023.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Teachers Gone Wild: Former teacher enters plea in connection to alleged sexual assaults of students

From The Journal Times.com:

Annie Pulley

RACINE — A former teacher at 21st Century Preparatory School in Racine pleaded no contest Tuesday in connection to allegations that he sexually assaulted several students.

Jamill Sanders of Racine, who is 37, pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and one felony count of the physical abuse of a child meant to cause bodily harm.

He originally was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault of a child and one count of the repeated sexual assault of the same child.

Both charges, which are felonies, were dismissed and read into the court’s record during the Tuesday hearing.

Sanders had pleaded not guilty to the original charges May 29, 2024, and signed a $10,000 cash bond May 14, according to online court records.

On Tuesday, Judge Jon Fredrickson ordered Sanders to comply with a pre-sentence investigation through the state Department of Corrections, and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Flynn noted that the state will request at sentencing that Sanders comply with the sex offender registry.

That sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 15 at the Racine County Courthouse.

Original allegations

According to previous reporting, Racine police officers were sent to the K4-8 school at 1220 Mound Ave. on March 27 after a report of a sexual assault.

Sanders had been working as a behavioral interventionalist, and five students from the school reportedly made allegations against him.

A 12-year-old student reportedly told police that Sanders touched her inappropriately, and that on a separate occasion allegedly pinched her breast.

Another 12-year-old girl alleged that Sanders touched her breast several times over a few months. Three 14-year-olds made similar allegations.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/former-21st-century-teacher-no-contest-pleas/article_f81b4e3c-e8a0-11ef-9320-c32120cc8256.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Cops Gone Wild: More Waupun prison staffers fired, resigned amid federal probe into alleged smuggling ring

From JSOnline:

Vanessa Swales

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nearly a dozen prison employees have now resigned or been fired since the U.S. Department of Justice launched a probe into a suspected drug, phone and contraband smuggling ring within Waupun Correctional Institution, according to the state's Department of Corrections.

That's up from the five previously reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last spring.

Of the 11 staffers, nine had their employment terminated and two resigned while under investigation, according to DOC spokesperson Beth Hardtke. The department said it isn't yet releasing the names of nine individuals whose employment was terminated because they are still under investigation.

In September, however, a former facilities repair worker at Waupun Correctional Institution pleaded guilty in federal court to smuggling contraband into the prison, including cell phones, tobacco products and controlled substances. Between 2022 and 2023, the former employee had received payments from prisoners, former prisoners and "associates" of prisoners totaling more than $53,000.

The probe came at a time when the state's correctional system faced growing criticism from prison rights advocates and families of Waupun prisoners following a spate of in-custody deaths, extended lock-down periods and poor access to on-site health care and services.

In June 2023, Dean Hoffmann, 60, died by suicide after nine days in solitary confinement. An investigation by the Journal Sentinel found that prison workers failed to give him his bipolar and antidepressant medications as prescribed more than three-quarters of the time. Shortly thereafter, his family filed a lawsuit alleging prison staff were deliberately indifferent to Hoffmann's serious mental health needs.

In October 2023, 30-year-old Tyshun Lemons died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Cameron Williams, 24, died of a rare stroke. Fellow prisoners have accused prison workers of ignoring Williams' pleas for help before his death. Their families have filed separate civil rights lawsuits against DOC, each alleging that Lemons and Williams were deprived of constitutional rights protecting against cruel and unusual punishment.

Donald W. Maier, 62, died in February of last year, a week after staff began periodically switching off the water to prevent him from flooding his cell, according to a criminal complaint. He died of probable dehydration and malnutrition, and his death was ruled a homicide.

The Journal Sentinel also reported on the deaths of Jay J. Adkins, 66, who died in May, and Christopher L. McDonald, 57, who later died in August. Dodge County Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt did not immediately respond to questions about the status of his office's investigation into their deaths.

Last summer, the prison's former warden and eight other workers, including nurses, correctional sergeants and lieutenants at the facility, were arrested and charged with misconduct in office and abuse of residents of a penal facility related to the deaths of Williams and Maier.

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2025/01/30/more-waupun-prison-staff-fired-resigned-amid-smuggling-investigation/77583814007/

As Wisconsin prisons crack down on drug smuggling, not even paper is safe

From The Journal Times.com:

ANNA HANSEN Wisconsin State Journal

Smuggling contraband into prisons doesn’t look like it used to, and Wisconsin officials are trying to keep up.

Department of Corrections employees have found narcotics sprayed onto crayon drawings, calendars and photographs, hidden in cracked book spines, slipped between Bible pages and into manila envelopes masquerading as legal mail. Against the department’s best efforts, the smugglers are becoming increasingly innovative.

On Saturday, a Waupun Correctional Institution employee was hospitalized and treated with Narcan after trying to intercept a drug-laden piece of paper being passed between two inmates, according to DOC spokesperson Beth Hardtke.

In September, substance exposure sent two DOC employees to hospitals, one of whom touched an item that tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl. The other fell ill after treating an inmate who was showing signs of intoxication, Hardtke said.

Between Jan. 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2023, 20 Wisconsin inmates died of overdoses, Hardtke said.

“This stuff is really dangerous,” she said. “Over the last several years, DOC has had to take additional, important steps to ensure the safety of our institutions, including addressing drugs entering our facilities via paper from personal letters, legal mail and books, among other materials.”

The DOC has been tracking an increase in drug-related incidents among inmates, and they’re getting harder to track due to the ubiquity of K2 and other synthetic cannabinoids, which are odorless and difficult to detect. Sometimes, it’s not even drugs: There have been instances of people smuggling wasp spray or embalming fluid into institutions on paper, Hardtke said.

Paper and envelopes can be sprayed or soaked in the substances before they’re mailed off to inmates. The highs these drugs produce can cause violent behavior as well as serious medical distress. From Jan. 1, 2019, to Sept. 18, the DOC reported 881 drug-related contraband incidents. Nearly a quarter of those incidents involved drugs on paper.

Among the DOC’s preventative steps are stricter mail room protocols. In 2021, the DOC implemented mail scanning after a successful pilot program at Fox Lake Correctional Institution. Personal mail is photocopied by an outside mail management service, which then sends the photocopies to each institution for delivery.

Official mail, such as that from attorneys, is handled differently: Rather than being photocopied by the outside mail management service, it’s photocopied in house. That saves time, as court documents and business information can come with tight deadlines. It also allows inmates a sense of security: They can see their documents being scanned in real time, eliminating suspicion that their legal mail has been tampered with.

The department also has tightened limits on books its facilities accept from organizations such as Wisconsin Books to Prisoners. The DOC has long prohibited used book donations, but an exception had been made for Wisconsin Books to Prisoners. However, the prevalence of bad actors masquerading as WBTP led to tighter restrictions and in January, when the DOC announced that it would no longer accept used books from any entity. This policy now is being implemented not only in books sent personally to inmates but in library donations as well, as each prison has its own library.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/drug-smuggling-wisconsin-prisons-books/article_ee49bffe-7e46-5bd9-8a1c-c41b95213d11.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Mother furious teen who killed her son is being released 9 months after sentencing

Another slap in the face for citizens.

Racine County sex offender Halloween check; 3 arrested

From Fox6Now:

RACINE, Wis. - The Racine County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, Oct. 31 said three registered sex offenders were arrested for violating the terms of their release as it relates to Halloween activities.

The sheriff's office and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) partnered to conduct the supervised checks during the county's trick-or-treat hours.

The sex offenders, who are under the supervision of the Wisconsin DOC, signed a "Halloween Contract" which required them to be indoors a minimum of one hour before, during, and one hour after locally scheduled trick-or-treating. The sex offenders are also not allowed to participate in any type of Halloween and/or trick-or-treat activities and are required to be home during these times. 

There were 133 Halloween compliance checks completed during Racine County trick-or-treat hours. There were three rules violations noted with three offenders taken into custody – for violating a prohibition on alcoholic beverages and for failure to comply with specific DOC Halloween rules. Wisconsin DOC staff also issued one warrant for an offender.

Statement from Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling:

"Law enforcement remains committed to ensure the safety of our children and thanked the deputies that worked during this holiday evening to protect our community."

From: https://www.fox6now.com/news/racine-county-registered-sex-offender-check-3-arrests