March jury trial set in human trafficking case

A 58-year-old Rhinelander man facing multiple counts of human trafficking is scheduled to stand trial in early March after invoking his right to a speedy trial.

According to court records, John Leo Hildebrand filed a demand for a speedy trial on Jan. 22, the same day he entered not guilty pleas to six counts of human trafficking.

A speedy trial demand requires the state to commence a trial within 90 days. In this case, a three- day jury trial is scheduled for March 6-8.

Hildebrand entered the not guilty pleas during an appearance before Judge Leon Stenz of Forest County.

The case was originally before Oneida County circuit judge Mike Bloom but Hildebrand requested a substitution, leading to Stenz’ appointment.

Requests for substitution of judge are automatically granted as long as the request is made in a timely manner.

During the Jan. 22 appearance, Stenz also agreed to modify Hildebrand’s bail from $100,000 cash to $25,000 cash. A number of conditions, including monitoring via drug patch, were also ordered.

According to testimony at Hildebrand’s preliminary hear- ing in October 2023, an investigation began after an individual who was in custody of the probation and parole department asked to speak with law en- forcement regarding human trafficking. The individual reported that Hildebrand had offered various quantities of methamphetamine in exchange for sexual acts.

The hearing also included in- formation gleaned from investigatory interviews with three other alleged victims, all of whom reported similar experiences with Hildebrand with respect to location and requests for sex in exchange for meth. According to the criminal complaint, one of the alleged victims told investigators they did not want to participate in sex acts with Hildebrand but they “cared more about meth than food or water.”

The same individual also told police they felt as they were selling their “soul” for meth.

Following the preliminary hearing, Hildebrand’s attorney requested a bond modification but Bloom denied it.

“$100,000 is a substantial amount of money but we have a situation here where, on the face of things, the evidence against the defendant is relatively straightforward,” the judge noted. “We have multiple alleged victims giving narrative information to law enforcement that is consistent with each other. So the state’s evidence is strong and when you look at this situation in the context of methamphetamine use, there’s no question that in the context of the public welfare that methamphetamine in Oneida County, the State of Wisconsin and elsewhere constitutes a genuine scourge.”

“The facts of this case are unique in many ways,” the court continued. “The allegations are of conduct that is predatory, depraved, that constitute exploitation of the destructive effects of methamphetamine and provide a very potent illustration of the dehumanizing effect of addictive drugs such as methamphetamine or opiate drugs or what have you. In other words, the totality of the circumstances, in my judgement, call for a high cash bond and for that reason the bond that was set shall remain until further order of the court.”

Human trafficking is a Class D felony carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].