Statewide Child Crimes Task Force Sweep

6/1/17 – The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force announced yesterday the arrest of 16 alleged child sex predators and child sex traffickers. The roundup was part of Operation New Hope, a week-long effort focused on child exploitation and online crimes in Wisconsin. Two of the arrests were made with assistance from law enforcement in Columbia County. 57-year-old Norman Clegg of Portage is charged with Possession of Child Pornography. 19-year-old Gary Worthley is facing felony Bail Jumping charges. The other suspects are charged with Exposing a Child to Harmful Material; Child Enticement; Use of a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime; Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child; Causing a Child to View Sexual Activity; and Trafficking of a Child. The other counties targeted by law enforcement include Brown, Clark, Dane, Eau Claire, Marquette, Outagamie, Rock, Shawano, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, and Winnebago. Five individuals arrested during Operation New Hope were registered sex offenders or had previously been arrested for internet crimes against children-related offenses. Attorney General Brad Schimel says the investigation of so many cases in one week would not have been possible without Alicia’s Law, legislation authored by Senator Van Wanggaard and Representative Joel Kleefisch and passed by the Wisconsin State Legislature last session. Alicia’s Law provides additional funding to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program and created an administrative subpoena process that expedites the procedure for finding the location of suspected internet sex predators. Operation New Hope included participation from more than 30 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy groups.