The Merrill Police Department is notifying the community of the impending release of a convicted sex offender to the Merrill area.
William Rateau, 58, will be released Sept. 5 to Community Supervision administered by the WI Department of Corrections. He is not wanted by the police at this time.
“This notification is not intended to increase fear; rather, it is our belief that an informed public is a safer public,” noted Merrill Police Chief Corey Bennett. “Sex offenders have always lived in our communities; but is was not until the WI Sex Offender Registry and Community Notification Law was enacted that law enforcement was able to share this information with the community.”
Rateau will be released back to Merrill and will be on supervision with the WI Department of Corrections until Sept. 9, 2025. Upon release, Rateau will be placed on Intensive Supervision and will be subject to lifetime Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring. Rateau will be required to register with the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry Program for life. The WI Sex Offender Registry can be located at www.widocoffenders.org.
Rateau was convicted of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault in Washington County in 1994. He was then convicted of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child in Lincoln County in 2010.
If you have concerns or questions regarding William Rateau, please contact the Merrill Police Department at 715-536-8311.