Is Removing a Wisconsin GPS Bracelet a Felony Offense?

 Posted on January 15, 2025 in Criminal Defense

The Sturgeon Bay, WI Police Department is currently searching for a sex offender who removed his GPS bracelet while on parole. The man was convicted of sexual assault in 1999. As a part of his parole conditions, he was required to be on the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry and wear a GPS bracelet.

The suspect has a prior charge of tampering with a GPS device from 2020 that added three years to the length of his probation. Tampering with a GPS device is a serious offense with serious penalties that require a highly experienced criminal defense. If you are facing this charge or another criminal defense charge, it is important that you speak to a Walworth County, WI criminal defense attorney.

How is Tampering with a GPS Device Charged and Punished?

Tampering with a GPS device is a Class I felony offense that can result in up to three and a half years in prison. The statute includes refusing a GPS device as well as tampering with or removing a device. Any person who does not have authorization from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections who knowingly refuses, obstructs, resists, tampers with, blocks, prevents the clear reception of, or removes a GPS device is subject to these penalties.  

Are There Problems with GPS Devices?

Unfortunately, in some cases, GPS false alerts have landed offenders in jail through no fault of their own. Even some in law enforcement doubt the program’s ability to ensure public safety. Since the state began implementing GPS devices, numerous service requests and complaints related to the devices failing to hold a charge have occurred. Since it is also a felony for a person on GPS monitoring to intentionally fail to charge the device, this has caused many people to be returned to prison through no fault of their own.

In other cases, the GPS tracker fails to communicate with the Department of Corrections Electronic Monitoring Center because of poor cellular reception. One man found this out the hard way after being arrested at his grandmother’s house—where he lives and where he was supposed to be—because of poor reception. The man was incarcerated for three days, losing his job in the process. Ten months later, the man was incarcerated for five days when the GPS bracelet failed to transmit because of poor reception.

A review of these and other incidents found that the monitoring center lost cellular connections more than 56,000 times with almost 900 offenders – or about 64 times per offender. About half of these were serious enough to be investigated, triggering 52 arrests. There were 135 requests for technical problems associated with the GPS devices, 93 of which were for charging issues and 14 for false tamper alerts. Several offenders claimed their GPS showed them to be in places they were not in or alerted when the ankle strap on the device was worn.  

What Are Other Criminal Offenses Associated with Parole Violations?

In addition to issues with GPS monitoring, the most common parole violations include:

•  Failure to check in with the assigned probation officer.
• Failure to report a new address or leaving the area without permission.
• Failure of a mandatory drug test
• Contacting the family of a victim
• Staying out past curfew
• Being arrested for a new crime
•  Failure to find work when that is a condition of parole

Penalties for these violations can result in partial or full revocation of parole, fines or administrative fees, or additional jail time.

Contact a Milwaukee County, WI Criminal Defense Lawyer

If you are facing criminal charges, it is extremely important that you speak to a Racine County, WI criminal defense lawyer from Bucher Law Group, LLC as quickly as possible. Attorney Bucher spent 20 years as the Waukesha County District Attorney, giving him a unique perspective on defending criminal charges. He has litigated the most complex, high-profile cases in the state of Wisconsin, personally handling dozens of homicide cases, hundreds of DUIs, and thousands of serious drug cases. Call 262-303-4916 to schedule your free consultation today.