A Violent Repeat Sex Offender Released To Live Homeless In Spooner
There are 542 Homeless Sex Offenders Living in Wisconsin
SPOONER, Wisc-
The prison release of a repeat violent sex offender in Spooner, Wisconsin is prompting a lot of questions about the judicial system.
No one in the town would rent him a house or apartment, so the Wisconsin Department of Corrections allowed him to live homeless until other arrangements could be made.
William Baugh, 55, pleaded guilty to the aggravated battery of an elderly person, and 3rd-degree sexual assault in Washburn County in 2010. He also was convicted for a solicit, induce, promote prostitution charge of a 16 year old back in 1984 in Minnesota.
He’s been in and out of prison in the last several years on parole violations. He wears a GPS monitoring device, but had his probation revoked last March after the Department of Corrections says he was “failing to abide by his GPS schedule, attempting to conceal his movements, and leaving his apartment.”
Last week Spooner Police put out word that Baugh, who is considered “at risk to reoffend,” would be released again but without an address, and would be “temporarily homeless.”
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections says Baugh must still legally keep his electronic tracking bracelet charged, or be arrested. The department says probation offices or police departments are the place he’s able to come and plug in.
Residents in the area reported seeing Baugh living in the woods behind the probation office, which is only a block away from Creative Kids Learning Center. The Department of Corrections disputes that Baugh spent the nights in the location, they say he spent his nights in a business in downtown Spooner.
“I run a daycare, with 65 kids here just about every day, so I went on high alert, “said owner Joahna Shelton.”
Shelton says the daycare is on lock down with Baugh repeatedly spotted essentially in their backyard in the area around the probation office.
“I’m not saying he would do anything, we’re being super proactive here. We have a responsibility to keep kids safe,” said Shelton.
Parents say the see him while they pick up their kids, Shelton says she’s seen him herself nearby.
“He was sitting at a picnic table in the rain,” said Shelton. “I felt bad, the system is flawed because this is supposed to be his reward. My heart goes out to him. But again, what he did was not okay either.
The probation office is even closer to the Washburn Co. Head Start, and a city park.
“There’s just a chill going through the neighborhood,” said resident Danielle Leddy.
“Right across the street from where he’s sleeping is the Head Start,” said resident Kimberly Rizzo. “There’s never enough teachers that make that okay.”
Locals say it’s clear the system is failing them and William Baugh.
“What makes people think he won’t reoffend again just to go back to jail, so he has somewhere to stay,” said Rizzo.
Department of Corrections said an email that, “Ultimately, Baugh is responsible for identifying a residence that complies with state law and local ordinances.”
This situation isn’t rare, the DOC says there are currently 542 homeless sex offenders in Wisconsin alone.
The City of Spooner is now creating an ordinance on this issue, unanimously passing a resolution that will go into effect Tuesday. It bans sex offenders from living less than 1000 feet away from “any school licensed day-care center, park, recreational trail, or any other place where children are known to congregate.”
The ordinance will make his current campsite in violation of city code.
FOX 21 attempted to contact Baugh about this story, but were unable to locate him. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections reports that Baugh was released homeless September 4th, he was taken into custody September 7th for for alleged violations of his community supervision, which remain under investigation.
