Dozens of people crammed into a town hall in Clark County Wednesday night to learn more about a convicted murderer and rapist who is set to move into their neighborhood next week. Those that couldn’t find room in the building listened through the windows as information was presented about Gary Thiede. Thiede was 18 when he committed a grisly murder in Hatfield 1988. He is a Level 3 sex offender. Probation officers have found a landlord willing to rent him a home on a dead end road south of Neillsville.
Cherise Nielsen of Probation and Parole did her best to quell fears. She said Thiede would be monitored with a device that alerts authorities if he leaves his property and GPS monitoring. “So he’s actually double monitored, and that’s not true of most sex offenders. We knew the community was upset about Gary being out there, so we wanted to make sure that he was monitored as much as we possibly can,” said Nielson, adding that Thiede will also be supervised by a Probation and Parole agent who will visit him at least once a week as well as make “collateral visits” to neighbors. “Don’t be surprised if you have an agent who knocks at your door. She’s looking for information to make sure he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing.”
Nielsen said, like it or not, Thiede has served his time and deserved to be released, a comment which drew derisive jeers from many in the crowd. Joe Holman, whose property abuts the property where Thiede will live, said the meeting “made him upset,” because he learned he had no legal recourse to the placement.