Former Colfax resident bound over for trial on child assault charges

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE  —  A 66-year-old former Colfax man has been bound over for trial on three felony counts related to the sexual assault of a child alleged to have occurred in Colfax.

Elmer C. Shilts Jr., currently of Knapp, appeared in Dunn County Circuit Court December 11 with his attorney, Kerry Kelm, on one felony count of first degree sexual assault (sexual contact with a child under the age of 13) and two felony counts of exposing genitals to a child.

Judge Rod Smeltzer found probable cause and ordered Shilts bound over for trial.

In a separate case, Shilts also is charged with three felony counts of first degree sexual assault (sexual contact with a child under the age of 13) and one felony count of exposing genitals to a child.

In the first case, the alleged victim was seven years old at the time, and in the second case, on which Judge Smeltzer found probable cause December 11, the alleged victim was between the ages of five and seven at the time.

The assaults allegedly took place at an apartment building in Colfax, at the Colfax fairgrounds and in a car parked at a Menomonie restaurant.

According to the criminal complaint, during interviews regarding the first case with a social worker, former Colfax Police Chief Pete Gehring and an officer with the Menomonie police department, Shilts alternated between denying that anything had happened, that it was not true and he would “deny it until the day he died” and saying he could not remember if anything had happened, but if something did happen, he was sorry — and admitting that during one incident he had asked the girl if he could touch her vagina and then had masturbated.

In the second case, Shilts is alleged to have assaulted another child between May of 2012 and April of 2014 in the Village of Colfax.

According to the criminal complaint, Colfax Police Chief William Anderson received a written statement from the child’s mother in February of this year.

Shilts has been ordered by the court to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18.

According to online court records, during the December 11 hearing, Shilts was reminded that he was to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18 since he is living relatively close to an elementary school.

Shilts is scheduled to be arraigned in Dunn County Circuit Court January 15 at 10 a.m.

A cash bail of $200 was set for Shilts October 12.

Bail was set with a $1,000 signature bond in February on the first case.