Parents in Palmyra are voicing outrage after learning a repeat sex offender is living across the street from Palmyra-Eagle Montessori Elementary School, with no state or local law preventing it. Rebecca Blouin, whose 8-year-old son attends the school, said she was stunned when she received an alert showing the offender's address. "Somebody convicted of child rape living within 450 feet of an elementary school is mind-blowing," Blouin said. "Parent or not, nobody wants a convicted child sex offender living directly next to an elementary school."According to the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry, Richard Van Zuiden, 53, was convicted in Washington of raping a child in 1993 and in Illinois in 2007 for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.The Wisconsin Department of Corrections confirmed Van Zuiden has never been under DOC supervision in the state because his convictions happened out of state. He is a lifetime registrant but is considered compliant with registry rules. State law does not restrict where registrants who are off supervision can live."The Sex Offender Registry Program does not have a role in approving housing in the community for registrants," a DOC spokesperson said. "Municipalities may place residency restrictions on sex offender registrants."The Palmyra Police Public Safety Division said the village has no local residency restriction, meaning there are no distance limits between where a sex offender can live and schools. The department confirmed in a press release that it received notice from the DOC on May 19 that Van Zuiden had reported his Palmyra address earlier in the month.Village Board President Tim Gorsegner said Palmyra considered a residency ordinance twice before in the late 2000s and again about a decade later but both efforts failed due to concerns about legal challenges and the village's small, dense layout. He said discussions are starting again following public concern."With renewed community pressure, we're in the early stages of drafting an ordinance that could work here," Tom said. TMJ4 spoke with Van Zuiden at his apartment and brought the concerns from parents directly to him."Im not going to be here that much longer. Were all moving out," said Van Zuiden. "They shouldn't have anything to worry about. I haven't caused anybody any harm...Let me live my life. I don't bother nobody."Van Zuiden said friends and family helped him find the place and that he plans to move by the end of the month, likely to the Beloit or Janesville area.Blouin said she hopes local and state leaders act to change the law. She plans to attend upcoming Village Board meetings to advocate for new restrictions."Under direct supervision or not, I feel like that should be the case for the rest of your life you shouldn't be allowed to live near a school after those convictions," Blouin said.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less