Bill Requires Community Notification of Past Offenses:
"Amie's Law" Passed Makes
Juvenile Sex Crimes Public
MADISON, WI (April 12, 2005) - The Wisconsin State Senate has passed a bill introduced by Representative Don Friske (R-Merrill) and co-authored by Representative Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin), Assembly Bill 99, otherwise known as “Amie’s Law”.
The bill, which was approved by a Senate vote of 31-2, would give law enforcement officials authority to notify the community about an individual that was placed on the Sex Offender Registry as a juvenile, if law enforcement believes doing so is necessary to protect the public. Presently the community cannot be informed about a dangerous sex offender if the offenses were committed while the offender was a juvenile.
The law has been named for Amie Zyla, of Waukesha, now 17, who was sexually assaulted by Joshua Wade when she was 8 years old. Wade was a 14-year-old neighbor boy at the time. She reported the abuse to her father, Mark, who alerted police and as a result, Wade was prosecuted as a juvenile.
The family eventually moved on but was shocked at recent news of Wade’s (now 23) arrest for molesting multiple children and videotaping dozens of others showering. Wade posed as a child mentor, preying on children who were seeking an outlet from their problems at home and school. Though he registered as a sex offender at age 14, police were powerless to warn the community, even when Wade turned 18, because state law does not allow the disclosure of juvenile records.
In her testimony at the Senate hearing last week on the bill, Amie conveyed her frustration with a system that allowed Joshua to slip through at a later age, despite prior offenses, and have another opportunity to re-offend. “When I came forward when I was eight years old, I expected it to never happen again and I can’t believe it has,” Amie said. “It seemed like what happened to me didn’t matter, like it didn’t count.”
Today, father Mark Zyla added, “This is about keeping the focus on victims. The purpose of government is to serve and protect, and we are honored and gratified that the Assembly and Senate have done just that, by responding to this tragic situation and doing the right thing quickly.”
“Law enforcement needs to have the flexibility to alert the community when a dangerous predator is in their midst,” said Gundrum. “Additional children should not have been victimized by Joshua Wade, who’s sexual deviancy was clearly apparent nine years ago.”
Unless called for sooner, the bill will be delivered to the Governor’s office on April 28th. He then has one week to decide whether or not to act on the bill. Gundrum, who serves as Chairman of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, expects that “Amie’s Law” will be signed into law by Governor Doyle.
“We need to get this done as soon as possible, before more children are victimized by predators like Joshua Wade,” said Gundrum. “I am confident Governor Doyle will do the right thing, and sign this bill into law.”
The Assembly approved AB 99 by a vote of 91-5 in February.
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