Local News

Megan M. Schmitz, 40, was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison by
Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Richard Radcliffe, and Justin D. Lake, 45, was
sentenced to 10 years in prison by Judge Todd Ziegler for their perpetration of child sex
crimes, announced District Attorney Kevin Croninger. Following release from prison,
Schmitz will be supervised by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) for 4.5
years, and Lake will be supervised for 20 years. Both will be required to register as
sexual offenders.
Court documents indicate Lake was charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting a
child from the time the child was 8 to 10 years old. Schmitz was charged for her actions
during the first assault of the child by Lake. Lake was also charged with sexually
assaulting a 17-year-old child. Lake was convicted of three (3) counts of incest with a
child and one (1) count of child enticement. He faced a sentence of up to 90 years of
confinement. Schmitz was convicted of causing a child to view sexual activity and failure
to protect a child. She faced up to 15 years of confinement.
The DOC recommended a sentence of nine (9) years for Lake and one (1) year for
Schmitz. The District Attorney’s Office argued Lake should be sentenced to 55 years in
prison, an effective life sentence for him, citing the seriousness of Lake’s repeated
conduct and the danger he posed because of that conduct and his criminal history which
included a conviction for manslaughter of a two-year-old child. The prosecution
acknowledged Schmitz’s cooperation with the investigation and prosecution strengthened
the case against Lake and recommended a prison sentence of six (6) years for Schmitz.
The case was investigated by Deputy Jessica Meyer of the Juneau County
Sheriff’s Office and Detective John Brose of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. They
were assisted by the Juneau County Department of Human Services, law enforcement in
the State of Washington, and Stepping Stones Child Advocacy Center in La Crosse. The
case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Sarah Skiles with assistance
from the trial team in the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. Skiles states, “The
investigators remained committed to pursuing the truth over an extended investigation,
and this case was possible because a victim had the courage to speak up. Our office will
never tolerate sexual abuse of children. We are committed to aggressively prosecuting
anyone that sexually assaults a child in Monroe County.”

Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson reports on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at approximately 7:15 PM, the Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center was notified of a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 131, near West River Road, rural Viola, WI, in the Town of Kickapoo.

Kierdan C. Koster, age 21, of Hillsboro was operating a 2007 Honda Accord and lost control while negotiating a curve.  The vehicle went off the roadway, struck an embankment and overturned.

The operator and two passengers, an 18-year-old, and a 5-year-old, also of Hillsboro, were able to exit the vehicle on their own.  Both passengers sustained minor injuries.  All three occupants were transported to Readstown to keep warm and wait for a ride home.

Seatbelts were used.  There was no airbag deployment.

Due to weather conditions, the roadway was slippery at the time of the crash.

Responding to the scene with the Sheriff’s Office were the Readstown Fire Department and Readstown Emergency Medical Service. 

The crash remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office.