October 27, 2014 at 5:28 p.m.
Men caught in child computer sex sting bound over for trial
Rhinelander man a registered sex offender following 2004 conviction
Men caught in child computer sex sting bound over for trial
Paul D. Loucks, 38, of Weston, and Ted J. Wasson, 37, of Rhinelander were arrested as part of Operation Aegis. The operation focused on online predators soliciting children for the purpose of engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Both men are charged with child enticement for sexual contact, a class D felony, and use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, a class C felony. If convicted, they face between 25 and 40 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years initial confinement.
Wasson had his preliminary hearing on Oct. 21. Oneida County District Attorney Michael Schiek called Lt. Terri Hook of the Oneida County Sheriff's Department as the state's only witness.
Before Hook could be sworn in, Wasson's attorney John Voorhees made a motion to dismiss the case due to insufficiency of the criminal complaint. Schiek countered that the police report attached to the complaint was more than enough to establish probable cause that a crime had been committed. Bloom said case law supports an undercover officer posing as an underage child and denied Voorhees' motion.
Hook testified that Oneida County Sheriff Grady Hartman specifically asked that his department be included in any future activities by the ICAC Task Force. She said her part in the operation was to set up the "takedown teams" of deputies and officers who would make arrests of anyone who went to the vacant Rhinelander house to which the men were directed.
She testified that she was contacted by the task force leader when they learned that Wasson was an Oneida County resident.
She testified that Wasson allegedly posted an ad on Craigslist looking for a "mother and daughter team." According to the report, the ad was explicit. Investigators replied to the ad posing as a mother with a 15-year old daughter.
Wasson and the "mother" exchanged several emails where it was allegedly agreed that the two females would have sex with Wasson for a "$40 donation." Investigators repeatedly stated that the girl the "mother" was talking about was just 15.
Hook testified that the conversation eventually transitioned from emails to cellphone text messages. She testified the phone that was found on Wasson when he was arrested was consistent with the type used to send the messages to investigators, but noted it hadn't yet been examined by a computer forensic specialist yet to determine if it was the phone used to send the texts.
She also testified that Wasson was directed to purchase some beer for the encounter with the "mother and daughter," an act she said was used to establish that he intended to go through with the arranged meeting.
Wasson allegedly told investigators at the Oneida County jail that he thought "someone was fooling him or pulling a prank on him," Hook testified.
During cross examination by Voorhees, Hook said she was not only in contact with the Oconto County deputy posing as the mother, the emails and texts were placed in a cloud account that everyone in the task force could follow.
When Voorhees asked Hook if Wasson had placed any other ads on Craigslist, she replied that she had not looked for any. He also asked if Wasson ever messaged an investigator posing as the child.
"Was there any direct conversation between Mr. Wasson and the fictitious child," he asked?
"Not directly," Hook replied.
Hook said pictures of a child who appeared to be between the ages of 15 and 16 were sent to Wasson as part of the ruse. She added that these photos were not pornographic in nature.
Hook conceded that Wasson did not actually stop at the house where he had been directed to meet the woman and child. Two cars parked down the street with their lights on apparently spooked him, she said, adding that the cars were not involved in the takedown team.
Hook also testified that Wasson told investigators at the jail that he was just going along with the messages to see who was pulling the prank on him. He would have given the beer to those people, he told them.
Voorhees then made a motion to dismiss the case arguing that there was no contact to entice any child, real or fictitious.
"If there is not contact with a child, there is no enticement," he told Bloom.
Bloom didn't immediate rule on the motion. He said he would hold it under advisement until the arraignment, which he set for Nov. 17. Wasson is being held in the Oneida County jail on a $50,000 cash bond.
Wasson is a registered sex offender, after entering a no contest plea to second degree sexual assault of a Rhinelander child in August 2004. He was sentenced to five years in prison and five years extended supervision. He was released from prison in August 2009 and completed his supervision less than two months ago.
Loucks made an appearance in Branch II Friday morning with his attorney Wright Laufenberg. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Bloom bound him over for trial and set a Nov. 17 arraignment date.
Wasson is accused of replying to an ad placed by investigators who were purporting to be an underage girl home from school. "Anyone looking for a little fun needs to look me up," the ad said. The initial email contact between Loucks and the investigators posing as a 15-year old girl in Rhinelander allegedly began at 10:06 a.m., the complaint states, and continued until Loucks agreed to meet the girl in Rhinelander for sex, according to the complaint.
Loucks traveled to Rhinelander and was directed via text messages to an address in the city limits where he was arrested.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
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