June 2, 2024 – West Bend, WI – Sex Offender Bulletin – Dear Resident:
The attached bulletin is being sent to you to make you aware of a sex offender that is moving into your neighborhood. This placement has been determined by the Department of Corrections and is strictly guided and regulated by state law. The sex offender has served their prison. Please carefully read the attached bulletin for specific information regarding the offender.
Below are details from CCAP regarding the 27 charges filed in June 2022 when Branden Koutsky appeared in Judge James Muehlbauer’s court.
12-1-2022 – Def pleads guilty to count #1, #2, #3 and #4 and #26; def is convicted. Court orders presentence investigation. Counts #5-25 and #27 are dismissed and read in. Sentencing hearing scheduled for February 10, 2023, at 9 a.m.
9-14-2022 – Additional text:Bond amount amended from $6,000 to $5,000. No unsupervised contact with children under age 18. No social media access. Not possess internet capable services except work and Chrome Notebook for school with supervision and device must be in possession of an adult when not in use for school. Not possess firearms. No contact with animals including family pet Scout.
The West Bend Police Department and the Department of Corrections are taking strong action steps to ensure your safety. Upon release, the offender will be closely monitored by the Department of Corrections specialized sex offender supervision program. This a very restrictive and intensely monitored supervision program.
In addition to the normal restrictions for a subject on supervision, this sex offender is under additional specific rules and intense sanctions they must follow. Some of those rules are highlighted on the attached bulletin. The offender’s location will be tracked at all times by a GPS monitoring system and will alert the Department of Corrections if they go to any restricted areas such as schools, parks and playgrounds. If this happens, the Department of Corrections will contact the West Bend Police Department and we will take immediate action.
In addition to the Department of Corrections, the West Bend Police Department maintains a robust sex offender monitoring program administered by the Criminal Investigations section. This program deploys detectives and beat area police officers to conduct regular and random compliance checks on all sex offenders residing in West Bend. Any violations discovered, either during an investigation or as a result of these checks, is immediately acted upon by the Police Department. Initially our officers will be checking on the offender mentioned in the bulletin on a daily basis. Please know the Police Department takes a very aggressive stance at in monitoring the registered sex offenders living in the City of West Bend.
The West Bend Police Department has informed our area partners, including the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Washington County District Attorney, the West Bend Parks Department, and the West Bend School District of the release and will continue to partner with these organizations and the Department of Corrections to keep our citizens safe.
While the crimes committed warrant concern and vigilance, it is important to note the offender is NOT WANTED for arrest and is working towards rehabilitation and re-entry as a productive member of society. There is no need to contact the police department based on simple recognition. If, however, a citizen believes the offender is or has violated a condition of their extended supervision, immediately call the West Bend Police Department at (262) 335-5000 or 911 in the case of an emergency. See Something, Say Something.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and the attached bulletin. While this is certainly an uncomfortable topic, it is not going to go away by ignoring it. The Police Department believes keeping you informed and engaged in the safety of the community is the best way to address this issue. I encourage you to follow the Police Department’s Facebook page for more information concerning this and other topics related to the safety of our community. You can also call my office or any of the Department of Corrections agents listed on the bulletin if you have further questions or concerns.
