Rep. Shankland announces re-location of sex offender scheduled for release in Stevens Point

By Sean White

STEVEN POINT, Wis. (WSAW) - Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) announced Tuesday that convicted sex offender Daniel Wachowiak, who was scheduled to be released in Stevens Point unhoused on Tuesday, May 16, has been transported by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections to secured housing outside of Portage County due to the completion of his prison sentence.

Following the announcement, Rep. Shankland released the following statement:

“Like many others in Stevens Point, I was seriously concerned upon hearing that Daniel Wachowiak was scheduled to be released in Stevens Point without secured housing. Over the past several days, I have been working closely with the DOC to ensure this individual has secured housing so he can be better monitored.

“I am thankful and relieved to announce that the Department of Corrections has located secured housing for Daniel Wachowiak outside of Portage County. On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, a DOC Transport Sergeant picked Daniel up from prison and moved him to his secured housing in another county for up to 90 days. This is excellent news for the safety and well-being of our community. However, because it is a temporary solution, it also underscores the need for meaningful changes to this process.

“I want to recognize and thank the DOC for their hard work locating secured housing outside of Portage County for Daniel Wachowiak. In the coming days, I will also be announcing a roundtable event with the DOC and elected officials in our community to discuss long-term legislative solutions to the issue of homeless sex offenders and how our local governments can assist in ensuring secured housing for sex offenders who have completed their prison sentences. I look forward to convening a bipartisan conversation to discuss how we can prevent these situations in the future. As your State Representative, I will continue working with law enforcement and state and local agencies to keep Portage County safe.”

Wachowiak’s conditions are to have no unsupervised contact with minors, no contact with the victim, and not to consume drugs. He must comply with all sex offender rules and cooperate with electronic monitoring. Face-to-face contact with Law Enforcement is required. He also must comply with all rules and be subject to lifetime registration of the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry. He must also comply with discretionary GPS.