Clint Rhymes: DHS officials withdraw plan to release violent sex offender in Fond du Lac County

FOND DU LAC/MILWAUKEE COUNTIES -- FOX6 News has learned the state's Department of Health Services has withdrawn its plan to place Clint Rhymes in Fond du Lac County. Neighbors in Fond du Lac had objected to the placement of Rhymes, a convicted violent sex offender, in the community. A court will now decide where Rhymes is ultimately placed.

A letter from the Fond du Lac County District Attorney indicates the Department of Health Services on Monday, December 14th submitted a letter to the court -- requesting to withdraw their supervised release plan with Milwaukee County in this case.

Rhymes was set to be placed in the Town of Eldorado in Fond du Lac County.

DHS officials indicated in their letter to the court that "matters outside of our control have led to this placement no longer being viable" -- referring to an ordinance passed in the Town of Eldorado and public opposition.

"Our ordinance says we will not take any sex offenders unless they are from Fond du Lac County," Gary Miller, town chairman said.

DHS officials are now requesting an additional 90 days to find housing for Rhymes.

Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said this in a statement:

"I am happy to see that DHS has changed course and listened to the concerns of those within the Eldorado community and taken into consideration an ordinance prohibiting the placement in Eldorado of an individual with no ties to Eldorado. Despite this being positive news, there is still work to be done on this issue. Fond du Lac County refuses to become the Guantanamo Bay dumping ground for sex offenders with no ties to our community.

I would call upon our Wisconsin Legislature to proactively address this concern in order to prevent Fond du Lac County and other communities from experiencing this type of public safety concern with an individual with no ties to the community."

The letter from Toney indicates the court is set to address the proposed placement for Rhymes on Wednesday, December 16th.

"The judge still has to address this issue. It's not a done deal by any means," Toney said.

Packed meeting in Town of Eldorado in Fond du Lac Co. over possible sex offender placement

Over 200 community members packed into the Eldorado Town Hall on December 7th to voice their opposition to Rhymes' proposed placement.

Rhymes was convicted of a violent sexual assault and attempted homicide in 1998 and sentenced to serve 26 years in prison for raping his victim and nearly beating her to death with a tire iron.

Home in Fond du Lac Co. where Clint Rhymes could live

Following his release from prison, he was committed as a sexually violent person under Chapter 980 and placed at Sand Ridge through Milwaukee County.

He became eligible for supervised release in 2014.

Ordinances passed throughout Milwaukee County caused the court to order a statewide placement for Rhymes, since he cannot be placed in Milwaukee due to those ordinances.

DHS officials then proposed placement in Fond du Lac County.

"That`s what kind of raised our eyebrows on this and said 'hey, something is not right here because the individual they are looking to place here in Fond du Lac County is not a resident of Fond du Lac and he has no ties to this community. It's nice that DHS is listening to the folks in Eldorado," Toney said.

"The people must have really responded and sent letters and I can`t thank the people of the Town of Eldorado for what they did," Gary Miller, town chairman said.

Again -- a hearing is set to address the proposed placement for Rhymes on Wednesday, December 16th. That hearing could go one of two ways: A judge could accept the request to rescind the placement of Rhymes in Eldorado, or the court may side with Rhymes' attorney, if he makes a compelling argument to place Rhymes there.

Officials in Fond du Lac had previously said they planned to bus concerned neighbors down to Milwaukee for that hearing.