The Wisconsin Department of Justice Seeks to Commit Jimmie L. Mable for Treatment

MADISON — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced today that the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a petition under the state’s sexual predator law against a Rock County man.

The petition was filed on January 4, 2013, in Rock County Circuit Court and alleges that Jimmie L. Mable (DOB 12/26/1947) is a sexually violent person and should be committed for treatment.  A probable cause hearing is scheduled before the Honorable Barbara W. McCrory on January 14, 2013.

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, Mable pleaded guilty to one count of First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child on July 22, 1994.  On October 14, 1994, Mable received 20 years confinement in the Wisconsin State Prison System.  Mable was scheduled to be discharged from the Department of Corrections on January 8, 2013, but will be detained at a Department of Health Services facility to await trial on the petition.

The state’s petition alleges that Mable suffers from mental conditions that predispose him to engage in acts of sexual violence.  The petition also alleges that Mable is dangerous as his mental disorders make it likely that he will engage in future acts of sexual violence.  A petition is only an allegation and a finding of probable cause only allows the state’s case to move forward.  Mable is legally presumed not to be a sexually violent person unless and until the state proves him to be a sexually violent person at a trial.

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