originally posted 9/1/2010
I have been having a battle with the sex offender registry for the past six years, and it’s not looking like its going to end anytime soon. Here is my story in brief. When I was 18 years old, I made the terrible mistake of having intercourse with a 14 year old girl. I was ordered five years of probation. At the time I was sentenced, the state was requesting that I register as a sex offender. My attorney objected, saying I met the requirements in the State of Wisconsin to not be required to register if the judge did not feel it was needed. The Judge told me that I met the requirements not to register, but he was going to make me register at that time and said there might be a chance of getting off the registry when I finished my probation. On April 1st 2009, three and a half years later, after having no major violations of my probation, I returned to court and asked the judge to if I could be removed from both the probation, and sex offender registry. He granted me both requests. Immediately after being removed from probation and the sex offender registry, I incorporated the business I was working on starting, and purchased a home with my wife. I also have two daughters. Literally the day after I closed on my house, I got a letter in the mail saying the State was appealing the judge’s decision. So I got an attorney again to fight this case. After waiting for over a year for the appeals court to make their decision, last week I just found out they sided with the state, and are going to make me register again as a sex offender. Their reason is that even though I was 18, and the victim was 14, the law said only not greater then a four year difference. We argued that reasonable people would say a 14 and 18 year old are 4 years apart, and not greater then four years apart. We also argued that in Wisconsin there is a statute that says, any time year is mentioned, and if its not clarified as anything else, it means for calendar years. According to the definition of calendar year I would be within 4 calendar years of my victim. This coming back on the registry is going to destroy my business, and destroy the lives of my wife and daughters. I am also afraid they are going to make me move, because the home I purchased is one block away from a school. Please, is there anything you can do to help me?