By: Associated Press//January 13, 2015//
By: Associated Press//January 13, 2015//
ELKHORN, Wis. (AP) — A 19-year-old Elkhorn man has been convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, but a judge says the teen won’t have to register as a sex offender.
Nicholas Cook was sentenced to six months in jail Monday after pleading guilty to sexual assault of a child. Walworth County Judge James Carlson says the sex offender registry is not a punishment, but a tool to protect the community. And, Carlson says he doesn’t think Cook is a threat to the community.
Cook is one of three Elkhorn men convicted of assaulting the girl in December 2013.
The Janesville Gazette reports that since the charges were filed in February, four Walworth County judges have been substituted or recused themselves because of personal relationships with the defendants or their families.
Information from: The Janesville Gazette, http://www.gazetteextra.com