SALEM LAKES, Wis. — The Salem Lakes Village Board ignited a firestorm this week after narrowly approving a convicted child predator’s request to live just steps away from a children’s park and Camp Wonderland, a well-known Boy Scout campground.

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In a 4-3 vote on Monday, trustees Billy Barhyte (I), Angela Brooks (D), Ron Gandt (D), and Dennis Faber (D) approved a residency exemption for Joshuah C. Koboldt, 40, despite his 2023 felony conviction for attempting to sexually assault a child he believed was 12 years old.

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Trustees Pete Poli (R), Bill Hopkins (D), and Village President Rita Bucur (D) opposed the request, citing serious concerns for public safety. Hopkins, who supported a similar exemption years ago that ended in reoffense, reversed course — while Faber doubled down on his prior approach.

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Koboldt was arrested during a sting operation in Waukesha County after arranging to meet the supposed 12-year-old, promising to bring condoms and lubricant. He showed up to the meeting location and was taken into custody. Detectives found the items in his vehicle, and the graphic chat logs — detailed in a criminal complaint — left little doubt about his intent.

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“This man wasn’t entrapped or misunderstood,” said one Salem Lakes resident after the vote. “He planned it, he showed up, and he admitted what he was there to do. The board had the chance to protect children — and four of them failed.”

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Under Village Ordinance § 439-5, registered sex offenders may request an exemption from residency restrictions, which otherwise bar them from living within 1,500 feet of places like schools, parks, and camps. The law allows the board to consider various factors, including treatment history and time since incarceration, but it emphasizes the public interest in protecting children.

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That public interest, critics say, was ignored.

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The decision closely mirrors a controversial 2018 vote by a previous board that allowed Daniel Olszewski, another sex offender, to live near a park. Four years later, Olszewski was charged with possessing child pornography and building improvised explosive devices. One of those who supported Olszewski’s exemption? Bill Hopkins — who, unlike in 2018, voted no this time.

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The current vote followed two special meetings held on June 2 and June 16, during which the board considered Koboldt’s request in a quasi-judicial hearing. While portions of the meetings could have been closed for medical or treatment history, the final deliberations were public.

Community members, however, were not allowed to speak.

The most vocal backlash has been directed at the four trustees who approved the exemption. Barhyte, a self-declared independent, sided with three left-leaning colleagues in what many view as a partisan split — although political affiliations were inferred by voting patterns, not officially declared.

The residence at 9416 276th Avenue — where Koboldt will now be allowed to live — sits within the 1,500-foot buffer zone that’s supposed to protect children. Its proximity to Camp Wonderland and a public park has many residents demanding answers — and change.

“This vote wasn’t about compassion or due process,” said another local resident. “It was about whether you believe kids deserve a zone of safety. Apparently, four members of this board don’t.”

As of Friday, none of the four approving trustees have issued a public statement or responded to questions from Kenosha County Eye.

With the board split and emotions running high, political consequences may soon follow. Calls for recall petitions and stricter residency rules have already begun circulating online. For many in Salem Lakes, the message is clear: they feel betrayed.

And they’re not letting it go.

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