Barca Calls for Review of State Agency Sex Offender Placement Protocol

When one of Michael Fink's sex assault victims discovered that he was going to live just doors away from her, she was more than upset.

"Oh, I was mad, and then I thought, how? How does this happen?" she told Patch.

Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, is wondering the same thing. He sent a letter Wednesday to Rep. Samantha Kerkman R-Powers Lake, and Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, co-chairs of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee asking for a "limited scope review" of the protocols used to determine placement of a sex offender back into the community.

“We need to do everything we can to ensure something like this never happens again,” Barca said in a written release. “This case highlights the need for a review of these systems and would allow the Legislative Audit Bureau to propose changes that could lead to policy recommendations for ensuring victims are as safe as possible from their attackers.”

According to a story in The Journal Times, Kerkman doesn't know if such an audit is feasible in the near future because of the myriad other audits the committee is overseeing. Still, she told reporter Stephanie Jones that directing the separate state agencies to review policies and report back.

Fink was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and served 18 months in jail. After he was released, he spent another five years in jail on an attempted burglary conviction. Then, in 1993, he was convicted of sexually assaulting two, 12-year-old girls who were babysitting for his stepkids. 

Patch first became aware of the problem last month after the Racine Police Department organized a meeting at Fratt School to inform neighbors of Fink's release and proprosed residence at 918 Lathrop Avenue. Shortly after Racine Uncovered linked to our story, the woman contacted Patch.

We called the Department of Human Services and the Department of Corrections about how and why that location was chosen with a victim so close. The next day, DHS Spokesperson Claire Smith confirmed in an email that Fink's release was being postponed.

"I can confirm that we will not be placing Mr. Fink at the location that was proposed," she wrote. "We make every effort to ensure that individuals who are placed in the community are not placed near their victims. Had we known that a victim lived within a block or two, we would not have chosen that location."

Once she learned about Barca's review request, the woman said she was going to call Barca's office to offer her assistance so this doesn't happen to any other victims.

"Whatever I can do to make sure no one else has to go through what I went through, I will do it," she said.

And she is taking action, helping distribute flyers in the neighborhood around 16th Street and Memorial, where Fink will now reportedly live. The woman is also working with neighbor Mary Shiro to get the word out about a neighborhood meeting that will address the possibility of passing an ordinance to keep felons from being placed in certain neighborhoods.

That meeting is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at Zion Lutheran, 3805 Kinzie Avenue. Alderperson Molly Hall will attend as well.

There is a hearing at noon Thursday before Racine County Circuit Court Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz about Fink's placement.