By Heather Ruenz
Editor
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 8 for a Whitewater man charged with sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl he babysat.
A four-day trial is scheduled to follow June 13 to 16 for John S. Finley, 37, who appeared in court Feb. 3, not in jail custody, with public defender Travis Schwantes. He was charged May 28, 2014, in Walworth County Circuit Court with repeated sexual assault of a child.
Walworth County assistant district attorney Haley Johnson, who appeared for the state Feb. 3 in Judge David Reddy’s courtroom, requested a speedy trial on behalf of the victim. Schwantes said a three-day trial would be sufficient for the defense but Johnson requested four days to allow ample time for expert testimony by witnesses.
According to the criminal complaint, a forensic interviewer talked to the girl who said Finley touched her genitals five or six times since living at their “new house,” which her mother reported they moved into April 15, 2014.
The girl said Finley also touched her at their “old house,” where the mother said they lived for three years, and at her grandmother’s house. The girl said Finley touched her every time he babysat her.
An officer spoke to Finley, who allegedly admitted touching the girl’s privates.
Finley, if convicted of the Class B felony offense, faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.
