Same residence involved in most recent proposal
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
Unlike the first time, Kenosha County officials are ready to fight a proposed placement of two sexually violent offenders into a Town of Wheatland residence, where the Department of Health Services attempted to move two other offenders in May 2016.
Last year, DHS attempted to place Michael McGee, of Racine County, and Robert McGee, of Milwaukee County into the residence at 32200 Geneva Rd., down the street from where a family with a 1-year-old lives.
The placement this time involves 41-year-old Steven Schuelke, of La Crosse County, and Alan Wiedenhoeft, a 64-year-old convicted in Milwaukee County.
Both offenders are held at Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Facility in Mauston under a Chapter 980 Civil Commitment order.
The order bars both from residing within 1,500-feet of schools, child care facilities, public parks, places of worship or youth centers.
While their placement is not official, the process started with an April 24 request from DHS to investigate whether the property is suitable for Schuelke and Wiedenhoeft.
According to Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, however, the proposed placement is 1,339-feet from Fox Water Trail Park, where children and residents engage in recreational activities.
“It said that any public park that is within 1,500-feet, you can’t place a sexual predator,” said Beth, who reportedly started dialogue with court officials and local legislators.
“The corporate counsel, the district attorney, we just filed the report,” Beth added. “We already made contact with our local legislators and we are preparing to take it to court again and fight this.”
Also, Wheatland Town Chairman William Glembocki looks to get the property off the market for future attempts to place sex offenders into the residence.
“As a town, we are looking into getting this off the book,” said Glembocki. “This house doesn’t even qualify under their own state statutes.”
Previously, county officials fought placement of both McGees, no relation, with the DHS backing off the proposed placement of Robert McGee.
For Michael McGee, the legal battle has continued, with the case still progressing through the state appeals court.
Meanwhile, the DHS reportedly found placement for Michael McGee in Monroe County, where the sex offender registry indicated he settled in late last month.
Mark Rogers, the father of the 1-year-old, said the proposed placement is like a bad flashback to last year.
“We are not happy about what is going on over here,” Rogers said. “My family is very upset about this and we want this to go away.”
“Fortunately for us this wasn’t a situation like it was last time, they tried to sneak them in last time,” he said.
Last year, DHS reportedly asked the Sheriff’s Department to investigate the property for a different sex offender, but swapped the names of those under the inquiry.
“They did a bait and switch, they told us a sex offender was going to go in here, and then they switched the names of the people,” Beth said. “We have got two names this time.”
“We are going to assume that they are going to put these people in,” Beth added.
Convicted three times
For Schuelke, the 41-year-old La Crosse resident was convicted of third-degree sexual assault on three occasions, beginning in 1993.
A decade later, Schuelke had a similar conviction, which sentenced him to 18 months in prison and five years extended supervision, according to online court records.
In 2006, he had his parole revoked, and was sentenced to another two years in prison before the Wisconsin Department of Justice filed a civil commitment order in 2012, according to a news release issued that January.
“The state’s petition alleges that Schuelke suffers from a mental condition that predisposes him to engage in acts of sexual violence,” states the release, noting there is probable cause to send him to trial to determine whether he is sexually violent and should be committed for treatment.
The La Crosse Tribune reported in April 2012, when he was slated for trial, that Schuelke’s 2006 conviction stemmed from a sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl.
Schuelke also assaulted two other minors before his 2006 conviction, the La Crosse Tribune reported.
Three years later, Schuelke received commitment to Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Facility.
Incarcerated for decades
By Beth’s admission, researching Schuelke was simple compared to Wiedenhoeft, who was convicted decades earlier.
“We are still doing research,” he said. “One of the offenders they want to place here is before CCAP, before we can actually do some research to see what his cases were, so we are going out and doing more investigation right now,” said Beth.
Further investigation of Wiedenhoeft by this newspaper revealed the 64-year-old was convicted in the early 1970’s in Milwaukee County.
In 2001, the Associated Press reported Wiedenhoeft appealed for a release from Mendota Mental Health Institute near Madison, but was denied by the state appeals court.
His appeal cited a court-ordered release date and 25 years of therapy.
“He should be placed in institutional care to protect the public from further sexual violence,” the 2001 report states.
The Associated Press report indicated Wiedenhoeft, who was convicted in 1974 and sent to Waupun Central State Hospital, violated his parole in 1980 and 1986.
Two years after his release in 1980, Wiedenhoeft violated his parole after he forced a motorist off the road and tried to assault her.
In 1986, he violated his parole again, when he attacked a woman while on a date.
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