October 15, 2014 at 4:01 p.m.
Two men accused of soliciting minors for sex make court appearances
Two men accused of soliciting minors for sex make court appearances
Paul D. Loucks, 38, of Weston, and Ted J. Wasson, 37, of Rhinelander, were arrested as part of an investigation code-named Operation Aegis. The investigation focused on online predators soliciting children for the purpose of engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Both men are charged with child enticement, a class D felony, and use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, a class C felony.
Wasson is a convicted sex offender, having entered a no contest plea to second degree sexual assault of a child in Rhinelander in August 2004. He was sentenced to five years in prison and five years extended supervision. His prison sentence ended in August 2009.
According to police reports attached to the criminal complaints, both men were contacted through ads listed in the personals section of Craigslist under casual encounters.
Loucks replied to an ad placed by an investigator who be an underage girl who was home from school. "Anyone looking for a little fun needs to look me up," the ad said, according to the complaint. After a flurry of email exchanges, Loucks agreed to meet the girl in Rhinelander for sex. Some of the messages were sexually explicit, according to the report.
According to the complaint, Loucks was directed to an address in the city limits via text messages. Upon arrival he was arrested by members of the Oneida County Sheriff's Department and Rhinelander Police Department.
The report for Wasson's case states he posted an ad on Craigslist looking for a "mother and daughter team." According to the report, the ad went into detail about the sexual contact he wanted to have with the mother and daughter.
Investigators replied to the ad posing as a mother with a 15-year old daughter. Wasson and the "mother" exchanged several emails in which they discussed setting up a meeting. The "mother" told Wasson she and her daughter would have sex with Wasson for a "$40 donation." Investigators repeatedly stated that the "daughter" the "mother" was referring to was only 15 years old.
The report states Wasson didn't immediately meet the two because he was at work. At around 6 p.m. he contacted the investigators to say he would be able to meet them and had the cash for the "donation" and beer he was asked to bring along. He was sent directions to an address where officers were waiting. He was arrested just after 6:42 p.m.
Bloom set a $5,000 cash bond for Loucks at the time of the arrest. A $50,000 cash bond was set for Wasson. During Monday's initial appearance, Louck's lawyer Wright Laufenberg successfully argued for a reduction of his client's bond to $1,000. Wasson's public defender, John Voorhees, asked for an adjourned initial appearance until Tuesday so he could meet with his client. During Tuesday's hearing, Voorhees asked for a preliminary hearing date then argued for a reduction in the cash bond.
Voorhees agreed the charges warrant some form of cash bond but asked Bloom to lower the amount.
"The amount of the cash bond is way beyond the means Mr. Wasson or anyone in his family can pay," Voorhees said.
Oneida County District Attorney Michael Schiek argued against any reduction in Wasson's bond. He noted that the defendant placed the Craiglist ad himself, rather than replying to one placed by investigators, and the case the state has is strong.
"We have an overwhelming amount of evidence in the form of computer messages, texts and photos," Schiek said.
He also argued Wasson is a flight risk.
"I think that the $50,000 cash bond the court set is appropriate and I ask that it be continued," Schiek said.
Bloom said the prior conviction is what prompted him to set such a high bond in Wasson's case. He said that while he didn't have the specific information regarding that case, the fact that Wasson served a five-year prison term "suggested that the conduct (for which he was convicted) was significant."
"Mr. Wasson has only been off extended supervision a relatively short period of time (from that sentence) and here we are again," Bloom said.
He denied Voorhees motion for a reduced bail amount.
Loucks will be back in court on Oct. 24 for a preliminary hearing. Wasson's preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 21.
If convicted of use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, each man faces a maximum prison sentence of 40 years with a minimum of five years. Child enticement carries a 25-year prison term.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
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