By Shereen Siewert
A 55-year-old Wausau-area man will spend 8 years in prison for repeatedly assaulting a child over an 8-year span.
Police say Dale Krueger, of Schofield, abused the child on a near-daily basis, prompting a charge of repeated first-degree sexual assault of the same child. The victim was between the ages of 3 and 11 during the time the assaults occurred, according to the criminal complaint. Wausau Pilot & Review will not disclose the precise relationship between the two to protect the identity of the victim.
Krueger was convicted in October of the charge and was sentenced last week in Marathon County Circuit Court.
According to the criminal complaint, the alleged assaults took place at Krueger’s home and in the office of an assisted living business he was contracted to clean. The girl told an Everest Metro Police detective she was also assaulted in the man’s minivan.
The case was filed in 2017, after which Krueger was freed on a $5,000 cash bond. A trial, after being reset multiple times, was called off days before jury selection was to begin when Krueger pleaded guilty to the charge. The maximum penalty for the crime is 60 years in prison.
In addition to spending 8 years in prison, Krueger will also spend seven years on extended supervision after his release. Circuit Judge Greg Strasser also ordered Krueger to have no contact with minors unless approved by the Dept. of Corrections and with an approved supervised chaperone in place. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Krueger was granted two days credit for time served.
