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Caledonia man accused of child exploitation, soliciting teen for prostitution
Milana Doné
RACINE — A 78-year-old Caledonia man has been accused of child prostitution and exploitation of a girl between 2011 and 2014.
Richard Betchkal was charged Thursday with one count of second-degree sexual assault of a child, one count of soliciting a child for prostitution, one count of child sexual exploitation — filming, one count of child sexual exploitation — produce or perform and 11 counts of possession of child pornography.
According to a criminal complaint, an investigator with the Caledonia Police Department received a statement in June from a 30-year-old woman alleging that Betchkal was threatening to distribute explicit photos of her as a teenager.
The woman told law enforcement that she met Betchkal around May 2012 when she was 15 and he was about 64 through a website for soliciting prostitution, the complaint said.
Investigators searched Betchkal’s phone and found an explicit photo of the woman from 2013. Investigators also found a video camera with numerous photos and videos of child sexual abuse material.
Betchkal reportedly admitted knowing the woman and reportedly told law enforcement that he would pay her for sexual acts and record the acts on a camcorder.
Betchkal initially appeared in court Friday, where his cash bond was set at $75,000.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 26.
Thursday, August 13, 2026
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58-year-old facing child sexual assault allegations dating back to the 1980s
Milana Doné
RACINE — A 58-year-old man is facing charges following allegations of child sexual assault spanning several decades.
Trevor Stratton was charged July 16 with one count of first-degree sexual assault of a child younger than 12, three counts of first-degree sexual assault against a child and one count of incest.
Each sexual assault charge is a class B felony. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 60 years of imprisonment.
Allegations
The investigation into Stratton began April 21, according to the Racine County Sheriff's Office, and reportedly identified alleged Wisconsin victims from the 1980s through at least 2010.
During the investigation, detectives learned that Stratton had been employed at an educational institution in Union Grove for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Investigators received information alleging that Stratton may have abused a student there, but RCSO said the allegation has not been substantiated.
Similar allegations occurred involving Stratton in Glynn County, Georgia, where he had been employed by an organization providing care and educational services to children with developmental disabilities, RCSO said.
A warrant was issued for his arrest July 21.
Stratton voluntarily appeared in court July 29, according to RCSO. He was taken into custody and a $10,000 cash bond was set.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a motion hearing Aug. 24.
"Cases involving the sexual abuse of children are among the most disturbing investigations our detectives undertake," Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said. "We recognize that it can take victims years, or even decades, to comes forward, and we commend the courage of those who have done so in this case."
RCSO is asking anyone with information about Stratton or who believes they might have had contact with him that is relevant to this investigation to call Investigator Brady Winger at 262-636-3174.
Thursday, July 30, 2026
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Clergy Gone Wild: Former Northwoods priest convicted of abuse to go before parole board
Laura Schulte
MADISON - A former Northwoods priest convicted of sexually assaulting young boys in the 1980s has a parole hearing set for July.
According to a source familiar with the case, Thomas Ericksen will go before the parole board on July 22.
Ericksen is eligible for parole on Sept. 11, according to Wisconsin's inmate locator. His mandatory release date is set for Dec. 5, 2032.
He was formerly denied parole in 2022.
Ericksen, 75, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2019 on two charges of sexually assaulting boys while stationed at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Winter in the 1980s. He is also registered as a sex offender for life.
He was given 20 years on one charge and 10 years on the other. He was credited with 314 days of time served in jail since his arrest, both in Minnesota before he was extradited and in Wisconsin. He is currently being held in the Jackson Correctional Institution in Black River Falls.
The sentence was described as an "indeterminate" prison term, meaning the judge didn't have control over how long Ericksen would actually serve before he's paroled. He was eligible for parole as early as December 2019, just three months after he was sentenced. He was also eligible in 2020 but waived his opportunity to go before the Parole Commission.
At least 11 men claimed that the former priest abused them as children or teens in multiple counties across the Northwoods of Wisconsin, either by filing reports with police or speaking with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporters. The former priest was arrested in November 2018, nearly a decade after victims first began sharing their stories with Sawyer County investigators.
Parole consideration is given only for inmates who committed a crime before Dec. 31, 1999. That was before Wisconsin enacted what's known as a "truth in sentencing" law, which means inmates generally must serve the entire sentence given to them by the court, with some exceptions for early release.
Because Ericksen committed the crimes before that law passed, his prison term is up to the Parole Commission based on his behavior while incarcerated.
Generally, inmates serving indeterminate sentences must serve at least a quarter of their sentence and must be released after two-thirds of their sentence. Using that framework, Ericksen would be required to serve at least 7.5 years in prison and would be released after 20 years.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
Mount Pleasant man sentenced in child sexual abuse case
Milana Doné
RACINE — A 39-year-old Mount Pleasant man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison in connection to child sexual abuse allegations.
Matthew Wefler had been charged with one count of repeated sexual assault of the same child, one count of incest with a child, seven counts of child sexual exploitation and three counts of causing a child under 13 to view/listen to sexual activity.
At Friday's hearing, Wefler pleaded guilty to repeated sexual assault of the same child, incest with a child and two of the child sexual exploitation counts.supervisi
The remaining counts were dismissed but read in to the court record.
He originally entered a not guilty plea to all counts last November.
Wefler also was ordered to serve 10 years of extended supervision.
According to a criminal complaint, the FBI notified the Racine County Sheriff’s Office on June 24, 2025, about an investigation regarding the distribution of child sexual abuse material and a child sexual assault involving Wefler.
The FBI reportedly found “hundreds of pages” of chat messages in which Wefler and a man in Texas exchanged and discussed sexual content involving young children and Wefler’s dog.
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