Janesville Gazette
December 19, 2008
http://gazettextra.com/news/2008/dec/18/charges-stand-teen-sex-case/
ELKHORN — A Walworth County judge Wednesday refused to dismissed charges against a former youth pastor accused of having sex with a Lake Geneva teen in the 1970s.
Russell J. Lesser, 63, of Bryson City, N.C., sought to have the case dismissed, claiming the statute of limitations has expired, said Walworth County District Attorney Phil Koss.
Koss argued it has not expired because Lesser hasn't lived in Wisconsin since the alleged offenses occurred.
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| Russell Lesser |
Defense attorney Stephen Kramer also wanted access to records of any counseling the victim might have received since the alleged offenses to see if she was "transferring guilt" or if she had "credibility issues," Koss said.
But Koss argued the defense was "fishing" and failed to show the records would contain relevant or exculpatory information.
Lesser, a former Youth for Christ Campus Life minister, is charged with two felony counts of sexual intercourse with a child and felony indecent behavior with a child.
He pleaded not guilty in August.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman told police she was sexually assaulted by a counselor from the summer of 1974 to the spring of 1976 while attending youth group.
The counselor began touching her inappropriately as part of a "trust" game, and months later the game led to sex, according to the complaint.
The girl and her parents confronted the counselor, but he denied any wrongdoing. At the time, the girl also denied anything inappropriate, according to the complaint.
The counselor was fired, and he moved out of the state in the spring of 1976. The girl disclosed the sexual abuse to her parents a year later, according to the complaint.
A Walworth County sheriff's detective began investigating in 2006 after speaking with an attorney who represented the girl and her family in the 1970s, according to the complaint.
A detective spoke with the woman's parents in May, and a warrant for Lesser's arrest was issued July 11.
If convicted, Lesser faces up to 30 years in prison. He remains free on a signature bond and a $2,500 cash bond.
The case is scheduled for trial in April.
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