July 20, 2024 – Washington Co., WI – Washington County Sheriff and West Bend Police are contacting the Department of Corrections after a story was posted on WashingtonCountyInsider.com that a registered sex offender had escaped, again, but neither local department was notified he got away.
According to social media post on July 8, 2024, the Washington County Sheriff notified the public about Brandon Cortez King being released July 2, 2024, and he will be residing on CTH NN in the Town of Jackson. The Department of Corrections was in charge of release and King would be “monitored closely by WI-DOC Division of Community.”
Neighbors noticed King as the same person who in August 2019 was released and cut off his GPS monitoring bracelet and was on the run for a month before being taken into custody, again and sentenced to six years in prison.
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Fast forward to July 16, 2024, when police and sheriffs were contacted to ask how the community could be assured King would not try to escape again.
Both law enforcement outlets said there could be that possibility, but he would be monitored closely.
A call was also placed July 18, 2024, to Department of Corrections and an email was received that King had already escaped July 3, 2024.
July 18, 2024 – Washington Co., WI – A recently released registered sex offender, Brandon Cortez King, who was released July 2, 2024, has been confirmed by officials as the same man released in August 2019, who cut off his GPS bracelet in West Bend and went missing for a month. Apparently, he’s now done it again according to the Department of Corrections.
A request was made for more information in order to assure the public this wouldn’t happen again. Below is the response from Beth Hardtke Director of Communications Office of Public Affairs | Office of the Secretary
Below are stories published during the original incident.
Calls have been placed to the Washington County Sheriff for more information.
This is a working story and more details will be posted when information is available.
September 27, 2019 – Washington Co., WI – The Washington County Sheriff’s most wanted suspect has been taken into custody by authorities in the City of Milwaukee.
Law enforcement has been searching for Brandon Cortez King since August 6 after he walked away from a halfway house in the Town of Jackson only five hours after being released from his 14-year prison sentence which he served for committing various child sex crimes. King then cut off his GPS monitoring bracelet in the City of West Bend and disappeared.
On Thursday the Milwaukee Police Department received an anonymous tip that Washington County’s Most Wanted was in the area outside of Aurora Sinai Medical Center. Two District 3 officers were dispatched to the area.
These officers researched and learned the subject they received the tip on was most likely King. They responded to the area. After not locating anyone outside they decided to walk around on the inside of the hospital. They located a man that matched the description. They made contact with the suspect who identified himself as someone other than King. The suspect was taken into custody and was eventually confessed to being Brandon Cortez King. King had made changes to his hairstyle in an effort to disguise himself.
Brandon King has been charged in Washington County Circuit Court and could face an additional 6 years in prison for Tampering with a Global Positioning System. He also has an outstanding warrant through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. He is on supervision until 2028. Law enforcement officials will continue to investigate who may have been assisting him since his escape.
We would like to thank all law enforcement officers, our partners with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and community members who have been diligently searching for King since his escape in early August.
Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis would like to extend special gratitude to the two district three Milwaukee Police Officers who captured King.
These two officers took an anonymous tip with limited information and developed a known suspect which they then located in a busy hospital environment and took him into custody without incident. “I commend these officers for their dedication, commitment, and thoroughness, the community is a safer place because of them,” said Schulteis.
