Neighbors upset after learning Gary Becker is living in neighborhood



RACINE (WITI) -- Neighbors are upset after learning former Racine Mayor Gary Becker will be moving into their neighborhood after he was released from prison after serving time as a sex offender.

Becker served three years at Oshkosh Correctional for second degree sexual assault of a child and child enticement, but now, Becker is out of prison and will live on South Street and 1st Street in Racine.

"Some people might say he paid for his crime. I don't believe it," Dolly Black said.

Black lives around the corner from Becker and was upset to learn that he would be living nearby, and also says she and her husband were not notified.

The Department of Corrections considers Becker a low-level sex offender and does not meet criteria for special public notification.

"These kids all walk to school every day. You just don't know," Black said.

In 2008, a city of Racine employee found questionable images on Becker's computer. A state agent posed as a 14-year-old girl online. Becker took the bait and arranged a meeting at Brookfield Square Mall.

Black is worried for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who frequent her house during the summer.

"I can't even let them out in the summer unless we're watching them. That's the way I feel. If he could do it once, he could do it again," Black said.

Becker will be under community supervision for the next five years. The Department of Corrections says he has 39 specific rules to follow that include no drugs or alcohol and no online chatting.

Becker is also subject to GPS monitoring and drug tests.