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Brown Co. panel advocates stricter penalties for sex crimes

Higher bail among ideas of Public Safety Committee

By Paul Brinkmann
pbrinkma@greenbaypressgazette.com February 1, 2007


Brown County's courts and prosecutors should toughen their approach to sex and drug crimes, especially for illegal immigrants, a committee of the County Board said Tuesday.


"The public is outraged," county Supervisor John Vander Leest said. "We're the voice, the elected representatives of the people."


The county's Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to recommend a resolution calling for higher bail and stiffer penalties for sex crimes. The committee also called for maximum bail — $50,000 to $100,000 — for any illegal immigrant who commits sex crimes.


Vander Leest and other supervisors said the public was angered by two recent events where local men accused of sex crimes were let go on $5,000 bail. One of them, Paulo Sheispan-Landero, was an illegal immigrant charged with assaulting a 12-year-old girl, and he didn't show for a subsequent hearing. The other, cab driver Curtis Lindsley, allegedly committed a second crime while out on bail.


Brown County District Attorney John Zakowski's office handled prosecution in both cases and made bond requests. But his office asked for a higher bond for Lindsley, which was not heeded by the court. Court Commissioner Lawrence Grazeley, who set bond for Sheispan-Landero, did not attend Wednesday's meeting.


Zakowski defended his office's actions. He said the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Supreme Court dictate how accused criminals are treated. He added that proving someone is an illegal immigrant can be difficult and time-consuming.


"Everybody is concerned about sexual offenders, illegal aliens, and so are we," Zakowski said. He criticized the committee's resolution as "ill-timed and based on inaccurate information."


The committee's members also railed against lax enforcement of immigration laws.


"There is no way the United States can absorb all the poor people of the world, and they are flooding in here," Supervisor Guy Zima said.


Zima and several others called for more county resolutions directed at drug crimes and illegal immigrants and the people who hire illegal immigrants.


The Sheispan-Landero case drew national attention. Zakowski said his office has made big changes since the two crimes, in response to public anger:



Higher cash bonds ($20,000) for people accused of sexually assaulting a child, except in certain cases.


Standard bond recommendations for proven illegal immigrants — $50,000 for bodily injury crimes and $25,000 for property crimes.


Higher bond for defendants whose citizenship is uncertain, with a further hearing to change bond status when citizenship status is confirmed.

Zakowski said his office has an excellent prosecution rate for sex crimes at 79 percent.


Jeanie Reimer, director of the Sexual Assault Center in Green Bay, praised the county's record and Zakowski.


"I wouldn't trade this DA's office for any other DA's office," Reimer said.


The full County Board will vote on the committee resolution at its next meeting, 7 p.m. Feb. 21, in the council chambers of Green Bay City Hall, 100 N. Jefferson St.


In related business, the committee directed Zakowski to come up with ideas for a Web site that would list all local drug crimes, possibly by location.