Elk Mound man sentenced to prison for death of girlfriend, charged with child assault

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE  —  A 21-year-old former Elk Mound man sentenced to more than six years in prison for the death of his girlfriend in a Town of Tainter car crash has been charged with the repeated sexual assault of a child. 

Gunnar D. Zurek, accompanied by his attorney, Michael M. Rajek, made an initial appearance in Dunn County Circuit Court February 28 before Judge Rod Smeltzer on one felony count of the repeated sexual assault of a child.

Judge Smeltzer set bail with a $1,000 signature bond for Zurek, who was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison and ten-and-a-half years of extended supervision in December of 2015 for the death of his girlfriend, Vannessa N. Marsh, 18, in a car crash in the Town of Tainter September 23, 2014.

In addition to the prison time and extended supervision, Judge James Peterson also sentenced Zurek to spend 24 hours in the county jail on September 23 during each year of his supervision to mark the anniversary of the car crash that killed Marsh, who was ejected from the vehicle Zurek was driving and pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the criminal complaint in the sexual assault case, Zurek allegedly sexually assaulted a girl who was six years old at the time.

The assaults allegedly occurred at a home in the Town of Colfax. 

During a forensic interview with Michelle Harris of the Chippewa Valley Child Advocacy Center, the alleged victim described the sexual assaults and said Zurek would use his fingers and sometimes his mouth to touch her, according to the criminal complaint.

When investigators informed Zurek he was being accused of sexually assaulting a child and that the alleged victim had said Zurek used physical force and held her down and would not let her go until he was done assaulting her, Zurek denied any wrongdoing and said he had never sexually assaulted the alleged victim, according to the complaint. 

In the Marsh case, Zurek was found guilty of knowingly operating a vehicle with a suspended driver’s license causing death, knowingly operating a vehicle with a suspended driver’s license causing great bodily harm and homicide by the negligent operation of a vehicle. 

Another passenger in the vehicle, identified as 34-year-old Joseph Thalacker of Augusta, also was injured.

The repeated sexual assault of a child is a Class C felony and upon conviction carries a penalty of a fine of up to $100,000 or a prison sentence of 40 years or both. 

A motion hearing in the case is scheduled in Dunn County Circuit Court April 28 before Judge Smeltzer.

Online court records list Zurek’s address as the Racine Youth Correctional Facility.