LOMIRA, Wis–The Dodge County Sheriff blames New York state law for a violent sex offender landing a job in Lomira. Earlier this week, the department issued an advisory that Derrick Brooks would be moving from New York to live at a motel in Lomira and work for Kreilkamp Trucking.
After public outcry, Kreilkamp let the Sheriff’s Office know that they did not discover Brooks’ sex offender status until after he was hired due to a New York law that prevented the background check company they use from asking Brooks about his criminal record until after a job offer is extended. The background checking firm also claims that the system New York uses charges 95-dollars to request criminal history records.
Sex Offender’s Employment and Accommodations in Lomira Terminated
On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office put out a notice of a violent Sex Offender, Derrick Brooks, residing at the AmeriVu Inn and Suites in Lomira. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt got off the phone this morning with the management of AmeriVu Inn and Suites, who also manages Kreilkamp Trucking. They advised that Derrick Brooks’ employment with Kreilkamp Trucking and residential accommodations at AmeriVu Inn and Suites were terminated. Derrick Brooks was provided with transportation back to New York at about noon on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, which was about 24 hours after the Sheriff notified their company of the issue.
Kreilkamp Trucking told Sheriff Schmidt that they were shocked to learn that Derrick Brooks passed a background check conducted by a contracted service of the trucking industry. After receiving notice of Derrick Brooks’ criminal activity in the State of New York, Kreilkamp Trucking contacted their background service to find out why these offenses had slipped through the cracks and not been discovered. They learned that the State of New York and the State of California forbid an employer from asking a prospective employee if they are a convicted felon during the hiring process. They further learned that to obtain information regarding criminal history in New York, a $95.00 fee is charged. In Wisconsin, this charge is $7.00.
As a result, Kreilkamp Trucking made a hiring decision to hire an individual based on incomplete information, which was provided to them by their contracted service. Kreilkamp Trucking assured the Sheriff that their background process has been immediately adjusted and they will be taking steps to ensure nothing like this occurs again in the future. Kreilkamp Trucking has indicated they will spare no expense to ensure they get accurate records in the future. They also assured the Sheriff that the community’s safety is their number one priority and they are frustrated that this has occurred. They have no interest in putting someone with that kind of background in one of their trucks and they assured the Sheriff that they have taken all necessary steps to correct this problem.
The Sheriff commended Kreilkamp Trucking and AmeriVu Inn and Suites for their swift action in correcting what has occurred and for independently taking it upon themselves to investigate and take action to correct what occurred. They want to be a partner with the community and have taken this incident very seriously despite the bad information that was provided to them by a contractor.
After the phone conversation with Kreilkamp Trucking, Sheriff Schmidt did research and found that the State of New York does have a law that forbids an employer from asking a prospective employee about their criminal history until after a job offer has been made. After a job offer, there is a process by which an employer can deny employment in New York after a criminal history is discovered, but it is a process and one that was not made available to Kreilkamp Trucking. As a result, Kreilkamp Trucking is a victim of a New York law, which placed the employees and customers of Kreilkamp Trucking, along with the residents of Dodge County in a compromised position of not knowing the violent history of a person in their workplace and their community.
Sheriff Schmidt is pleased by the outcome that Derrick Brooks’ past of violent sexual assault has been brought to light and he is no longer in our community. The residents of Dodge County, and specifically those who live in the Lomira area, can rest a bit easier knowing this individual has been removed from our neighborhoods despite a law in New York, which protects convicted felons, even those felons on the National Sex Offender Registry.
Kreilkamp says it has now fired Brooks–and he is being sent back to New York.
