A 40-year-old La Crosse man was sentenced on Monday to 16 years after sexually assaulting a child who was 13 years old at the time, causing her to become pregnant.
Bruce L. Nelson, right, of La Crosse addresses the court on Monday, May 9, 2022 next to his attorney, Zachariah Fudge. He was sentenced to 16 years for the sexual assault of a middle schooler who became pregnant as a result.
Bruce L. Nelson faced up to 65 years in prison after being charged in 2019 for repeated sexual assault of a child, child enticement, contributing to truancy and resisting an officer.
Judge Elliot Levine said Nelson groomed and manipulated a middle schooler, and repeatedly sexually assaulted her, eventually impregnating her.
Nelson pled guilty at a plea hearing in February.
“Our lives are forever changed by Bruce Nelson,” the victim’s mother told the court on Monday. She said Nelson groomed her daughter after meeting her online, lied about his age, provided her with a cell phone for communication, entered their home, and picked her daughter up from a middle school without permission.
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“What has happened has forever taken my daughter’s innocence away from her,” the mother said, stating that her daughter chose to place the child up for adoption.
The victim’s family asked the court for the maximum sentence. Nelson’s attorney Zachariah Fudge requested the court consider probation.
“I truly am sorry, and I’m sorry for the family. I know I messed up, I know I did wrong, and at the time I couldn’t admit that I was in the wrong. But I know I was,” Nelson said on Monday.
He continued saying, “I hope one day that you all will forgive me. But I didn’t mean to tear your family apart or make her feel, or any one of you all feel how you all feel today.”
Levine said that Nelson’s ability to mislead or manipulate individuals was a “type of cognitive behavior that’s scary.” He described actions such as providing the victim with her own phone to control communication as “extremely predatory.”
“Probation would be absolutely and completely inappropriate in this situation,” Levine said.
Nelson’s 16-year sentence includes 10 years of incarceration and six years of extended supervision.
Additionally, Nelson will be a lifetime registered sex offender and be subjected to an evaluation under Wisconsin’s Ch. 980 law at the time of his release, which can indefinitely commit someone as a sexually violent person after they complete a sentence.
Nelson will also participate in a sex offender treatment program and will be required to have no contact with the victim or her family, or anyone under the age of 18 unless approved.
No restitution was requested by the victim’s family, though they have 60 days to do so.
Throwback from Tribune files: Life in the La Crosse area in the 1940s
1941: Electric streetcar
An electric streetcar heads south in the 100 block of North Fourth Street, then a two-way street, in this snapshot taken in March 1941. Streetcar service in La Crosse ended 70 years ago, Nov. 11, 1945, bringing to a close a mode of transportation that began here in 1879 with horse-drawn cars followed by the advent of electric cars in 1893. Buildings of note in this photo, all which have since been razed, are the National Bank of La Crosse with its Greek temple look, the five-story Stoddard Hotel and the post office with its signature tower. The date of this photo was determined by the Rivoli Theater marquee, at left, which notes Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr starring in “Comrade X,” a movie that appeared at the Rivoli from March 8-12, 1941, according to Tribune files. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1941: La Crosse VFW Drum Corps
This 75-year-old scene from April 5, 1941, shows the La Crosse VFW Drum Corps in the back of a decorated truck parked at the Pure Oil gas station, on the southeast corner of Fourth and Cass streets. The drum unit was making the rounds of the city that day as part of a “Buy A Tag” event to raise funds for new equipment, according to Tribune files. This gas station of Tudor Revival design was erected in 1937 and operated as a gas station until the early 1960s, after which the building served a variety of businesses. The building's exterior has changed little since 1937. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1941: La Crosse Interstate Fair
On horseback and holding an Old Style Lager flag, Brownie Beck leads harness racers during the 1941 La Crosse Interstate Fair in a photo taken by the late Gordon Feinberg (1915-1990) of La Crosse. At that time, the fairgrounds were located on and in the vicinity of what is now Memorial Field on the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1942: Kiddie Hour picnic
A group of youngsters attends a “Kiddie Hour” picnic at Myrick Park 75 years ago, during the summer of 1942. "The Kiddie Hour” was a popular local variety show featuring performances by Coulee Region children that was broadcast on radio station WKBH from 1926 to 1955 and on WKBT TV 8 from 1955 into the 1960s. The show was sponsored by La Crosse’s old Erickson Bakery, which is the reason some of the children shown here are wearing bakers caps. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1942: Camp McCoy POW camp
An early 1942 view of the World War II prisoner of war camp on South Post at Camp McCoy (now Fort McCoy) near Sparta. From 1942 to 1946, this complex housed Japanese and German prisoners of war and also served as a detention center for German, Italian and Japanese civilians arrested as potentially dangerous “enemy aliens.” This snowy scene, with the fence at right under construction, was taken shortly before the first prisoners and detainees arrived at the camp 75 years ago on March 9, 1942, according to Tribune files. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1945: Longfellow School
Longfellow School students exiting their school at 19th and Denton streets circa 1945.
Longfellow was dedicated 80 years ago on Jan. 19, 1940, with a program in the school auditorium attended by 700 people. From 1940 to 1960, Longfellow served students from kindergarten through ninth grade, with elementary classes held in the 19th Street wing of the building and junior high classes held in the Denton Street wing.
From 1960 to 1980, the school was a junior high serving grades seven through nine. Since 1980, Longfellow has been a middle school with grades six through eight.
Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1946: La Crosse YMCA
A scene from the Sunday, April 14, 1946, edition of the La Crosse Tribune shows a game of badminton played at the YMCA with this caption: “One of the most popular sports among senior YMCA members is badminton, which is played every Monday and Thursday night at the Y. In the picture a bit of action is shown during last Thursday night’s session. About to drive the shuttlecock over the net on the left is Joe Dribben, a veteran of the game, while Fritz Frey, his partner, awaits action from the other side. Walt Rennebohm and Bob Roellig are the other two men pictured.” Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1947: School bus
This school bus scene from the fall of 1947 shows the bus driver, identified only as Pete, with two of his passengers, George Britton and Ann Wartinbee. George was the son of David and Margaret Britton, who resided at 1717 Winnebago St. Ann, then a first grade student at Emerson School and later a 1959 graduate of Logan High School, was the daughter of D. Russell and Helen Wartinbee, who lived at 815 S. 17th St. D. Russell Wartinbee (1903-1977) was well known as a teacher at Central High School from 1936 to 1969 and for serving four terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136.
1947: W.T. Grant
W.T. Grant was the first tenant of the Hoeschler Building, which is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and King Street, when it opened in 1947. The national retailer closed its La Crosse location in 1975. Today, the building is known as King on Fifth and occupied by a variety of offices.
1948: The Ringling Bros. Circus
Elephants with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus head south on Second Street between Vine and State streets on July 28, 1948.
1948: Sears
Frank J. Hoeschler completed work on the Sears building at Fifth Avenue and King Street in 1947. Although the building remains, Sears left for Valley View Mall in 1980. Today, the three-story structure, known as King on Fifth, houses a variety of offices.
1948: The Sias Isles Boat Livery
A circa 1948 view of Sias Isles Boat Livery, which was located on the Black River at the foot of Irvin Street in Onalaska. This boat rental enterprise, which at one time was popular with fishermen from around the country, dated to the 1930s and was operated by Ben and Floyde Sias of Onalaska. Ben died in 1950, but his widow continued to operate the livery in later years. From 1970 to the late 1990s, the livery was run by either Carl or Ronald Schams, according to Onalaska Directory files, with the business last listed in the 1997 directory. The site of Sias Isles Boat Livery is now occupied by Onalaska’s Waterfront Park. Anyone with more information about this photo or wishing to donate photos of the Coulee Region may contact the La Crosse Public Library Archives at 608-789-7136 .
1948: Grand Hotel
The third floor of The Grand Hotel, located at the corner of Third and Pearl streets, is being removed in this 1948 photo. The building, which was built in 1885, was earlier known as the Eperson House and was one of the city's top hotels at the start of the 20th century. In 1948, the Tribune reported that the building had "continued to slide and gradually degenerated into something of a flop-house, offering shelter to knights of the road and other unfortunates with near-empty pocketbooks." Today, the second floor of the building has apartments, and the first floor has been home to a variety of bars, most recently Coconut Joe's, which closed earlier this year.
1948: Centennial parade
This 70-year-old scene from La Crosse’s city, county and state centennial parade of July 17, 1948, shows the parade’s grand prize entry — a replica of an old Mississippi River steamboat — as it headed west on Jay Street from Fifth Avenue. Named the SS Fifth Avenue, Port of La Crosse, it was sponsored by Fifth Avenue merchants and was complete with a whistle, calliope, passengers and a rotating paddle wheel. An estimated 60,000 spectators turned out for the parade, which was nearly two hours long and included 150 units, according to Tribune files.
Olivia Herken
Reporter
Olivia Herken is the local government reporter at the La Crosse Tribune and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism. She can be found on Twitter @oherken, and reached at 608-791-8217.
