Here is the update info that I found on another forum-
"update on Sterling Rachwal the horse rapist"
Man with animal abuse history will remain in custody
BY RUSSELL PLUMMER • The Reporter • February 9, 2010
A 46-year-old Fond du Lac man with a history of mental illness and inappropriate contact with animals will likely go back to a mental institution.
Sterling Rachwal, 26 Amory St., was charged Monday with disorderly conduct after he allegedly confessed to entering a Fond du Lac County barn in 2008 with intent of committing an indecent act with a horse.
At 6:50 p.m. on Nov. 1, 2008, a Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department deputy responded to N5072 Hickory Road in the town of Fond du Lac for a report of a man with a handlebar mustache entering a barn. The man who called police reported that the intruder said he had a “fascination with horses” and that he was new to the area, according to the criminal complaint. The man then left.
This month, police were tipped off via an e-mail that Rachwal was a suspect in the incident, said Chief Deputy Mark Strand. Two Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department detectives conducted an interview in which Rachwal allegedly admitted to entering the Hickory Road barn wearing latex gloves, according to the complaint.
Rachwal said he stopped himself before doing anything but told investigators what he would have done to the animal.
On Dec. 23, 1993, Rachwal was sentenced in Monroe County Circuit Court to prison on counts of mistreatment of animals/cause death, intentional mistreatment of animals and sexual gratification with an animal.
In a 1997 Waupaca County case, Rachwal was found guilty but not guilty due to mental disease or defect on counts of mistreatment of animals, felony bail jumping and criminal damage to property.
Capt. Don Conat of the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Department was the lead investigator in the case that took Rachwal off the streets for more than 10 years.
“He molested a horse in a neighbor’s barn and molested a second horse in a different neighbor’s barn,” Conat said.
While Rachwal never confessed, police used boot prints and DNA evidence to link him to the crimes, said Conat.
“I definitely think he is a danger to horses,” Conat said.
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When a judge ordered his conditional release in May 2008, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services contracted with probation and parole to monitor him at 26 Amory St., said Wisconsin Department of Corrections Supervisor Eric Gross.
Conat learned on Tuesday that Rachwal was back in the court system.
“I was surprised he was released at all into society,” Conat said. “I thought he would be off the streets for many years.”
Strand said he contacted Rachwal’s probation agent Tuesday morning. Because of his confession, Rachwal will likely be transported from the Fond du Lac County Jail, where he is being held on a probation hold, to an institution when a bed is available.
People found not guilty due to mental disease or defect who violate a conditional rule after being released are placed in custody and the committing court determines whether to revoke the release, said Glenn Larson, community forensics services manager at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Once placed into a mental institution, offenders can petition for release every six months, Larson said.
Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Judge Steven Weinke established a $500 signature bond Monday and ordered Rachwal to have no contact with farms that have animals.
Despite his recent arrest, Rachwal has not had other run-ins with the police, said Fond du Lac Police Department Deputy Chief Kevin Lemke.
Strand said the disorderly conduct charge is appropriate since Rachwal did not confess to performing any acts, and deputies cannot prove that any activity occurred.
Lt. Bill Flood, head of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department detective bureau, said he cannot recall a case like this since the 1970s. Horse enthusiasts have expressed their concern to the Sheriff’s Department, and Flood said they are right to be worried.
“His background, based on his criminal history and past convictions, is that he has a sexual deviation when it comes to horses,” Flood said. “If he is out and free, depending if he is on a medication regimen or therapy regimen, he may lapse and he could find himself possibly reoffending.”
