Court docs: Alleged assaults happened at a Wausau-area hotel
WAUSAU — A 24-year-old Stetsonville man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl is facing similar charges in Elkhart County, Indiana involving the same teen, court records show.
Dalton Hostetler, who remains jailed on a $36,000 cash bond, faces charges in Marathon County Circuit Court of second degree sexual assault of a child and child enticement, among other charges. Hostetler’s last name was misspelled as “Hochstetler” in original court documents.
Hostetler first came to the attention of Marathon County detectives in June, when police were alerted by the Elhkart County Sheriff’s Department in Indiana of a suspected crime discovered during an investigation there.
According to the criminal complaint, a woman in Indiana reported finding text messages on the phone of her 14-year-old daughter that described a sexual relationship between the girl and Hostetler. The girl told police she first had sex with Hostetler in January while the two were parked in pickup in the parking lot of a Rib Mountain hotel. The girl had been staying there on a family trip, police said.
Police say the relationship continued via text message after the girl left the Wausau area with her family to return to Indiana. Months later, Hostetler moved to Indiana “to be close” to the girl, according to the complaint.
When Marathon County detectives questioned Hostetler, he admitted to having sex with the teen in Wisconsin but chose to remain silent about any contact occurring in Indiana, according to the police report.
Indiana court records show Hostetler faces felony charges there of sexual misconduct with a minor, in addition to the charges he faces locally.
He is due in court Nov. 13 for a preliminary hearing.
