Lincoln Hills School (Photo: WI DOC)
A Republican state Senator says he wants to know what’s going on with a federal investigation into a Wisconsin juvenile corrections center.
The FBI has been investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the Lincoln Hills boys facility for over a year. While the state has made several changes at the facility since reportsabout the abuse were made public, state Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) says federal officials have been silent for too long about what’s going on. “They have never contacted the Legislature…never,” he says.
Wanggaard recently sent a letter to the FBI asking for an update, but has not received a response.
The Racine Republican says he’s concerned about the lengthy investigation and its potential impact on safety at Lincoln Hills and the nearby Copper Lake girls facility. He says lawmakers have held off on making any serious reforms to avoid disrupting the investigation. “I mean if there’s an issue that would help us do something in the legislative process…we would want to know that sooner than later,” he says.
The FBI did not respond to a message from WRN seeking comment.