By Shereen Siewert
A plea deal appears to be in the works for one of four 18-year-old men accused of beating a 15-year-old boy and leaving him in the woods near the Wausau School Forest in an apparent attempted robbery.
A tentative plea date has been set for Jan. 10 for Mitchell Tesch, of Wausau, which would allow Tesch to avoid a scheduled two-day trial for February in Marathon County Circuit Court. One of the four defendants, Colton Bradberry, of Schofield, was sentenced last month 12 years in prison followed by 12 years extended supervision; his sentence covered 10 separate cases filed over the past year including the attempted armed robbery and assault case.
Tesch faces charges of child abuse, armed robbery with the use of force, criminal damage to property, bail jumping and disorderly conduct in the case, which was filed July 5.
Police say the young men picked up the 15-year-old alleged victim just after 2 a.m. on a Friday in July before telling him they were planning a robbery to finance a purchase of drugs. The men allegedly drove the boy to the Wausau School Forest and walked into the woods when an argument ensued. That’s when one of the suspects pulled a knife and threatened to kill the boy.
The alleged victim was beaten but was not stabbed. He was left in the woods without a cell phone and walked to nearby CTH KK, where he flagged down a passerby who called 911. The boy was transported to a local hospital and was treated for his injuries.
Devin W. Noskowiak and Curtis Schulz, both of Wausau, also face a range of charges including child abuse and robbery connected with the case. Charges against all four suspects were filed Friday in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Tesch is free on a signature bond. Circuit Judge Greg Strasser is hearing the case.
