TOWN OF ALBAN, WI (WSAU) — Peter Yogerst, a man convicted of a violent sex crime in 1995, has been released to a supervised residence in the Portage County town of Alban because of a judge’s ruling in Washington County, and a hearing today in Chippewa County court for the release of offender Jason R. Staves appears to be headed towards the same result.
Representative Katrina Shankland is taking issue with their placement near a community center, where parties and events are hosted regularly and children are present. A recent change to state law has changed the methods in which sex offenders are relocated, which Shankland says hamstrings towns like Alban.
“It should be acknowledged that our Portage County judge had already denied a violent sex offender from Portage County from being placed in the town of Alban because of the community room,” said Shankland.
“When a judge from another county, who doesn’t have to speak for the people of Portage County, gets to make these decisions in spite of what our local law authorities have said, what our sheriff believes, what our local judge says, what our local district attorney says, that’s wrong. We need to change the law so that local people can have input.”
Shankland is co-hosting a town hall on the topic Thursday night at the Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative at 10401 Lystul Road, Rosholt, WI 54473. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.
