STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU-WAOW) — A Stevens Point man was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 15 years of extended supervision after pleading guilty to sexual assault and child pornography charges.
Stephen Decker was sentenced on April 1 by Portage County Circuit Court Judge Louis Molepske after pleading guilty to multiple child sex crimes: one count of second-degree sexual assault, one count of sexual assault of a child by a person who works or volunteers with children, and four counts of possession of child pornography, according to Portage County District Attorney Cass Cousins.
One victim provided an impact statement at the sentencing hearing, describing the devastating effects of Decker’s abuse. The defendant’s actions had “taken away [her] ability too fully enjoy [her] life,” she said.
She said the abuse resulted in her “losing [her] identity” and that she was “grieving the person I used to be.”
Judge Molepske recognized the severity of the offenses, comparing the victim’s time living in Decker’s house to being in prison. The court stated the sentence needed to address his victimization of others, his sexual attraction to children, and his ongoing threat to the public.
Decker thanked the Portage County Sheriff’s Office for investigating and prosecuting the case at the sentencing hearing. He stated he needed to go to prison and be punished for his crimes.
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