June 19, 2017 at 4:17 p.m.
LdF man gets 18 years in prison for multiple child sexual assaults
LdF man gets 18 years in prison for multiple child sexual assaults
Curtis J. Wiggins will also spend 20 years on intensive supervision and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life as a part of the sentence handed down by Vilas County judge Neal A. Nielsen III.
In total, Wiggins had eight cases filed against him.
He was charged with one count of first-degree child sexual assault (sexual contact with person under age 13), one count of first-degree child sexual assault (intercourse with person under age 12) and two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child in one case filed in May 2015, as well as an additional count of second-degree sexual assault of a child and one count of exposing a child to harmful material in another case.
On July 15, 2016, two more cases were filed, each charging him with a single count of first-degree child sexual assault (sexual contact with person under age 13). The most recent four cases, added in March, included two counts of first-degree child sexual assault (sexual contact with person under age 13), one count of first-degree child sexual assault, one count of second-degree sexual assault of a child and one count of exposing a child to harmful material.
The majority of the charges were either class B or C felonies. Nielsen could have imposed up to 40 years behind bars on each of the class B felonies with a mandatory minimum of 25 years.
However, as part of a plea agreement, Wiggins pled no contest April 7 to four counts of second-degree child sexual assault (sexual contact with a child under age 16). The remaining charges were dismissed but read into the record for sentencing purposes. The agreement, reached by Vilas County district attorney Martha Milanowski and Wiggin's attorney Rodman Streicher, had the two recommending a prison sentence of 18 to 20 years as well as 20 years extended supervision with numerous strict conditions. Restitution, which is still to be calculated, would also be a part of the final sentence.
A pre-sentence investigation report ordered by Nielsen called for a much stricter penalty, it was revealed in court.
The sentencing hearing was held in the larger of the two courtrooms in Eagle River, and the victims and their families packed the prosecution side of the gallery. As Milanowski recounted the details of each assault there was audible crying from those in attendance.
"Judge, here we have sex crimes against children, an extremely serious offense," Milanowski said. "Here we have eight victims, 12 years of age and younger."
She went on to detail how each of the victims is still coming to terms with the psychological, emotional and physical affects of what Wiggins did to them and argued that an extended period of incarceration was called for in this case to protect the public.
"The defendant has shown little to no remorse, minimal cooperation and (has been) generally unhelpful," she said. "For the families and the victims here, their lives have been forever altered. Today, they will receive some level of closure, but I argue that everybody in this courtroom will have to agree that many of their struggles will be ongoing as a result of these crimes."
Several family members of the victims then read statements detailing how the lives of the victims have been shattered by what Wiggins did to them. Many detailed instances of cutting, suicide attempts, depression, PTSD and other psychological issues. One woman testified that one of the victims is currently in the hospital after a suicide attempt. Many addressed how seemingly innocent events and places would trigger their symptoms to reappear.
"This is a horrendous crime that has shattered (the child's) spirit," one woman said. "No child will ever be safe from him, no matter how hard you try."
"It's going to be a life-long healing process," another woman told Nielsen.
The last victim to give a statement, who is now 24, said she was devastated when she learned in 2015 that she was the first of Wiggins' victims, yet never spoke up about what he did to her. She expressed guilt that other children endured the same suffering she has.
"I have suffered a great deal in the last 12 years," she told the judge. "Twelve years is half of my life."
Throughout th statements, Wiggins remained emotionless, staring straight ahead.
In his argument, Streicher candidly admitted this is one of the most horrific cases he has handled since he started practicing law. He told Nielsen that the plea agreement was structured so that the public would be protected and so his client would also receive the mental health treatment he needs.
"Twenty years for a mid-30-year old man is not trivial," he noted.
He then told Nielsen that Wiggins had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by multiple adults when he was between the ages of 6 and 12. Streicher argued that this set Wiggins on the path of sexually assaulting children himself.
"From everything that Mr. Wiggins has told me, everything he has laid bare to that PSI writer, I am as disgusted by what happened to him as what he did in these cases," Streicher said. "And what I read throughout these reports in the criminal complaints, I thought this case had reached its saturation point in terms of tragedy. But then I read what happened to Curtis in the past, I realized this was just the tip of the iceberg."
As a result of what happened to Wiggins as a child, his "programming never got a chance to be wired properly," his lawyer argued.
Streicher also argued that Wiggins was remorseful for his actions, as evidenced by a letter he wrote Nielsen before the hearing. He also argued that his client's decision to accept the plea agreement and spare the eight victims from having to testify at trial was further evidence of remorse.
Wiggins' girlfriend of eight years then read a statement of her own, seeking to paint a picture of him as someone who was kind and caring and would never hurt children. This provoked several members of the victims' families to start to interrupt before Nielsen ordered them to be quiet. Most of the families and victims then walked out of the courtroom until the woman was done with her statement.
In handing down his sentence, Nielsen reflected on another child sex assault case several years ago that also included raw, emotional statements from victims of sexual assaults going back 20 years. He said the rawness of the suffering of the victims was "striking" in that case and the same is true in this case.
"There is no necessarily perfect or complete solution," Nielsen said. "It's like trying to remove a tattoo. We can only make our very best effort, but we're always going to see the mark, it's always going to be there."
He then spoke of the PSI report, which was compiled after interviews were conducted with the victims, as well as interviews with Wiggins and his family and friends. His education, work history and criminal record were also reviewed.
"The other thing that I find that is a thread that runs through every PSI that I have ever read is trauma, childhood trauma," Nielsen said. "We have no idea, as a society, of the amount of harm that is caused by children being raised in inappropriate and terrible circumstances and the type of marks that leaves, and what that leads to into the future."
He said Wiggins' PSI is no different from any other he has read over his 14 years on the bench.
"Very significantly in this case, (Wiggins) himself is the victim of terrible sexual assaults as a young child between the ages of 6 and 12. He pleads with the author of the PSI, and in his letter to the court, for understanding of that," Nielsen said.
Nielsen characterized the common thread of sexual assault from victim to victim as having almost a "Shakespearian dimension" to it and added that he hopes that, with counseling, Wiggins' victims can break the chain so that they don't become abusers themselves.
He said he understands the desire of the victims and their families for him to impose a harsher sentence then what is called for in the agreement, and noted that is a natural response. However, he said he also recognizes the need for the district attorney to make plea agreements as the sheer number of criminal cases filed every year makes it logistically impossible for all cases to go to trial.
While he said he felt the PSI recommendation was too harsh, he also said he felt the joint sentencing recommendation in the plea agreement was the lowest he would be willing to go and still feel that justice had been served. In order to spare the eight victims from having to testify at trial, he accepted the recommendation.
"We didn't have one trial, let alone eight. So I think that is worth something," he said, referencing the number of total cases being resolved.
While 20 years in prison may not seem to be a long sentence, it represents one of the longest he has handed down, the judge added.
Throughout Nielsen's remarks, Wiggins continued to stare straight ahead.
Because Wiggins has spent 772 days in jail awaiting the resolution of the case, he is entitled to credit for time already served.
As a condition of his extended supervision, Wiggins will not be allowed to have any contact with the victims or their families, must be chaperoned when he leaves his residence upon release from prison, have no contact with anyone under the age of 18, maintain absolute sobriety and continue to attend sexual offender treatment as ordered by his agent. He also will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
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