The Milwaukee Post

4 • Milwaukee County Post • October 26, 2018 Supervisor Taylor calls for reform of expungement laws MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Supervisor Sequanna Taylor is calling for reform of laws relating to the sealing of criminal records that make it difficult for people to obtain employment. Her resolution calls for the state Legislature to adopt several rec- ommendations of the Wisconsin Policy Forum. "Expungement allows people who have completed their sentences to be given a real chance to pursue economic security for themselves and their families. In a city that already has one of the highest unemployment rates and that is known to be the worst place in the country to raise a black child, adding a conviction on to these other factors makes it difficult to obtain lawful employment and secure the basic necessities in life," Taylor said in a news release. "We have a duty to eliminate barriers to successful re-entry by reducing these material causes of recidivism. Expungement allows former non-violent offenders to become truly rehabilitated by enabling them to gain employment, secure housing and go back to school. These are tools that, once put into place, assist those who have completed their sentences to become successful citizens," Taylor said. Taylor worked with the Office on African American Affairs to craft the proposal. "The recent partnership with the Wisconsin Policy Forum allowed OAAA an opportunity to study the issue of criminal records and the impact of Wisconsin's strict expungement laws on individuals, especially males of color. This study highlighted our agency's need to work towards legislative reform and expand expungement and non-conviction laws and practices," said Nicole Brookshire, Director of the Office on African American Affairs. The Wisconsin Policy Forum recently issued a report on Wisconsin's expungement laws and noted that "Wisconsin appears to have a stricter expungement law than all of its neighboring states except Iowa." Members of the Committee on Intergovernmental Relations unanimously recom- mended Taylor's resolution for adoption. The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will consider the resolution at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. WEEK IN REVIEW STATE AND LOCAL STORIES OF INTEREST Woman accused of $2,000 Nike theft from Kohl's WAUKESHA — A 17-year-old Milwaukee woman could face up to up 18 months in prison after reportedly stealing more than $2,000 in Nike merchandise from the Kohl's Department Store at 2130 Moreland Blvd. According a criminal complaint filed Monday in Waukesha County Circuit Court, Javariana S. Briars was arrested on Saturday, her third time attempting the retail theft scheme at the store. Based on the complaint, Briars successfully stole from the store on Oct. 7 and Oct. 14 before being caught on Saturday. In each incident, she reportedly stockpiled Nike cloth- ing in certain sections of the store, and then quickly piled it into a cart before leaving. On Oct. 14, she was reportedly joined by a male co-conspirator, but his name is not men- tioned. When Briars was spotted attempting the same scheme on Saturday, she was reported- ly wearing the same exact outfit she wearing during the alleged Oct. 14 incident. Briars was charged with felony retail theft and misdemeanor retail theft, as a party to a crime, online court records show. She was released on a $2,500 bond. Milwaukee man charged with burglarizing Falls business WAUKESHA — A Milwaukee man allegedly was caught burglarizing a Menomonee Falls business last summer and then led police on a chase. Mario Jones, 47, was charged Oct. 17 in Waukesha County Circuit Court with burgla- ry and attempting to flee an officer, and was to be held on $7,500 cash bail. A criminal complaint said a worker at Trester Hoist and Equipment on Campbell Drive noticed a truck left running with items in its bed July 6. When the worker went to investigate, he saw a man in an area of the business not open to the public; the man drove away with an estimated $15,353 in equipment, the complaint said. Falls police asked Butler counterparts for help, and they chased Jones into Milwaukee, where the car crashed in an alley on North 93rd Street. Inside the truck, police found scrap records in Jones' name, the complaint said. Jones was arrested after a traffic stop Tuesday, and he later admitted to stealing from the business to support his crack cocaine habit, the complaint said. Greenfield woman allegedly stole $500-plus worth of Gatorade, Red Bull WAUKESHA — A Greenfield woman allegedly stole more than $500 worth of Gatorade, Red Bull and soda from Pick 'n Save, 12735 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield, as well as the Meijer at 801 E. Sunset Drive, Waukesha, according to a Waukesha County Circuit Court criminal complaint. Tina M. Rodriguez, 40, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor retail theft and three counts of misdemeanor bail jumping, according to the complaint. Rodriguez is also charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after a search of her back- pack allegedly revealed two metal pipes. Rodriguez was allegedly caught leaving the stores with $250.25 worth of merchandise from Meijer on Oct. 8 and $311.99 from Pick 'n Save on Oct. 18. After the Pick 'n Save inci- dent, officers searched her backpack and allegedly found two metal pipes and straws. Walker seeks applicants for Circuit Court vacancy MILWAUKEE — Gov. Scott Walker announced he is seeking applicants for appoint- ment to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court. The new appointee will replace outgoing Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Richard Sankovitz, whose resignation is effective Dec. 31. The new appointee, should he or she choose to run, would be up for election in April 2020. Candidates need to submit a cover letter, a resumé, two writing samples and a judicial application found at www.walker.wi.gov (select "Menu" at the top right of the page, "Serve WI," "Service Applications," "Judicial Application.") All application materials must be received no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday. Following submission, candidates will receive an email confirming receipt of the application and explaining the next steps. Potential applicants with questions about the process should email them to govjudicialappointments@wisconsin.gov or call Kate Wiedel at 608-266-1212. Sen. Baldwin announces over $14 million for HIV/AIDS care, support services MILWAUKEE — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has announced more than $14 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve the quality of health care and support services for Wisconsinites living with HIV or AIDS. The federal grants, which are part of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, will sup- port Wisconsin organizations and clinics including the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Health Services, Inc., Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers in Milwaukee, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "HIV/AIDS remains a public health crisis in our country and despite medical advances, people living with HIV still face significant physical, emotional and financial burdens to quality health care," Baldwin said in a news release. "I am proud to have helped secure this funding for HIV/AIDS prevention programs and other efforts aimed at building healthier families and saving lives throughout Wisconsin." Every year, almost 40,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV and there are an estimated 5,900 people in Wisconsin living with HIV. 12 of 13 weekend OWI arrests were for first offense MILWAUKEE — The Sheriff's Office announced 13 drivers were arrested for operating while intoxicated as part of Operation Drive Sober from 4 p.m. Oct. 19 to 6 a.m. Monday. All but one were arrested for their first OWI. The lone accused repeater was arrested for a second OWI. The average preliminary breath test was 0.13 percent. The standard legal limit is 0.08 percent. Taylor

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