January 5, 2009

Most Wanted Sex Offender Located After 15 Years as Fugitive

Arrested by Idaho police after being located by Governor Doyle’s SAFE Team

Dale Dolan, wanted by police since 1994 and designated a Wisconsin Most Wanted Sex Offender since 2006, was arrested by Idaho police over the weekend based on information provided by Wisconsin’s Sex Offender Apprehension and Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team.

Dolan was convicted in Dane and St. Croix Counties of two counts of second degree sexual assault of a child in 1985, absconded in 1994 and has been out of compliance with the state’s sex offender registry when it began in 1997.  He has been one of the state’s Most Wanted Sex Offenders since Governor Doyle launched the list in 2006 as part of his SAFE Initiative, a comprehensive agenda designed to hold offenders accountable and provide the public with more information than ever about sex offenders in Wisconsin.

“This case illustrates how the SAFE Initiative is making our state and nation safer from sex offenders trying to hide in our communities,” said OJA Executive Director David Steingraber.  “With the assistance of local police, the SAFE Team is tracking down some of the most dangerous offenders who have evaded law enforcement for years.”

Using advanced computer tracking technology, investigators in the Office of Justice Assistance-based SAFE Office located information that Dolan was residing in Garden City, Idaho.  The SAFE Team provided Garden City law enforcement with his street address, and based on this information police placed his home under surveillance.  Dolan was apprehended Saturday morning and will be extradited to Wisconsin on felony parole violation charges and multiple misdemeanor warrants.  He also faces possible charges in Idaho.

The SAFE Team, comprised of retired law enforcement investigators and Department of Corrections sex offender registry specialists, has tracked down and brought into compliance more than 2,700 sex offenders, including 65 of the state’s 88 Most Wanted.  The state’s 90% sex offender registry compliance rate leads the nation.

“Under Governor Doyle’s leadership, we are tracking down dangerous sex offenders who are evading registry reporting requirements and attempting to move undetected through the community,” DOC Secretary Rick Raemisch said. “I applaud the work of the SAFE Team and our partners in law enforcement as they work together to locate these dangerous offenders and get them off the streets.”

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1/5/2009