Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen Announces Commitment of Homer L. Perren Jr. to Treatment Under Chapter 980

MADISON — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced today that Homer L. Perren Jr., age 52, was committed in La Crosse County Circuit Court under Wisconsin's civil commitment law (Chapter 980, Wis. Stats.) following a jury trial in La Crosse. La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge Elliott M. Levine presided over the case.

Chapter 980 of the Wisconsin Statutes relates to the control, care and treatment of sexually violent persons. Under Wisconsin law, a person may be subject to a civil commitment when the person has been convicted of a sexually violent offense, has a mental disorder, and is dangerous to others because the mental disorder makes it likely he or she will commit further acts of sexual violence. A civil commitment is defined in Wisconsin law as commitment to the custody and care of the Department of Health Services for control, care, and treatment until the person is no longer considered sexually violent.

According to the DOJ petition, in 2001, Perren was convicted in La Crosse County of Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child 16 or Under. Perren was sentenced to ten years in the Wisconsin State Prison System followed by five years of extended supervision. Perren was scheduled to be released from the Department of Corrections on December 28, 2010. After the commitment petition was filed by the state, he was instead transferred to secure custody in a Department of Health Services institution to await resolution of the case.

Assistant Attorney General Rebecca R. Weise represents the state in this case.