Winneconne, WI

Tactics Used

Auto Seizure
Buyer Arrests
Cameras
Community Service
Employment Loss
Identity Disclosure
IT Based Tactics
John School
Letters
License Suspension
Neighborhood Action
Public Education
Reverse Stings
SOAP Orders
Web Stings

Winneconne is a town in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, with a population of roughly 2,350. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been reported within many areas of the county since at least the 1970s, if not earlier. Consumer-level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response.

Demand-reduction tactics used in the town include the sex buyer arrests and identity disclosure. In October 2022, a Kimberly High School teacher was arrested and charged with child enticement for a series of messages he shared with students he knew from working at Winneconne High School. The man faced charges in Winnebago County for child enticement-prostitution, soliciting intimate representation from a minor, exposing a child to harmful material, and disorderly conduct. He was arrested by the Winneconne Police Department. School administrators announced they had placed the man on administrative leave soon after the allegations surfaced. Two days before, the Winneconne High School principal contacted Winneconne police to discuss screenshots of Snapchat messages sent by the man to a 16-year-old high school student, according to a criminal complaint. The girl had shared five screenshots with the principal. All of the pictures showed a shirtless man, whom officers identified as the suspect, sitting in a chair. The images had suggestive captions, and the student told the principal that the man had sent the Snapchat images directly to her over the summer. Two other teens reported similar Snapchat messages from the man, including one inviting her over for sex and offering to pay her $40 to come to his residence. The man asked one girl to send a photo of her chest, and he sent a picture of a male sex organ to her. When apprehended by police, the man admitted to inviting each of the three students to come to his apartment, sending a picture of a male sex organ, and knowing all three of the girls were under age 18.

Key Partners

  • Winneconne Police Department
  • Kimberly School District

Key Sources

Sex Buyer Arrest, Identity Disclosure:

Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:

Background on Prostitution in the Area:

Local Ordinances:

State Wisconsin
Type City
Population 2350
Location
Comments are closed.