Whittenberger given 25 years for sexual assault
Judge Troy Nielsen sentenced Leroy Whittenberger to 25 years in prison Monday, Dec. 2.
On Aug. 28, a jury convicted the 51-year-old Whittenberger of three felony counts of second-degree sexual assault with use of force.
The victim was a 17-year-old girl at the time of the assault in July 2012 in New London.
Her rape kit was not tested until 2017 as part of the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
This is the first conviction and sentencing to result from the testing of backlogged sexual assault kits in Wisconsin.
“As a result of this prosecution, a serial sex offender will be in prison for a long time,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul.
Assistant Attorneys General Amber Hahn and Noel Lawrence, in partnership with the Waupaca County District Attorney’s Office, prosecuted the case.
In addition to prison, Nielsen placed Whittenberger on 15 years of extended supervision and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
Whittenberger has three prior sexual assault convictions from Lincoln and Marathon counties