UPDATE (12/14/22): Online circuit court records in a civil matter filed against David Ohnstad in Burnett County Circuit Court indicate that David Ohnstad did receive a conviction for sexual assault, however, that conviction has been expunged. Under Wisconsin State Statute 973.015: a person is under the age of 25 at the time of the commission of an offense for which the person has been found guilty in a court for violation of a law for which the maximum period of imprisonment is 6 years or less the court may order at the time of sentencing that the record be expunged upon successful completion of the sentence if the court determines the person will benefit and society will not be harmed by this disposition. There are additional variables listed in the Statute and those details may be read here. Due to the expungement, circuit court records regarding this case are no longer available for request.
BURNETT COUNTY -- A man is charged with the sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 in Burnett County Circuit Court.
David Ohnstad, of Cushing, WI, is charged in Burnett County Circuit Court with 5 counts of Class B Felony 1st Degree Child Sexual Assault – Sexual Contact with a Person Under the Age of 13.
According to the criminal complaint, on October 27, 2015, the Burnett County Sheriff's Department conducted forensic interviews with a female victim who was reporting sexual assault(s) which had reportedly occurred between July 2009 and April 2012. The criminal complaint states that on October 12, 2013, an initial report had been received by the Burnett County Sheriff's Department regarding the female victim who had attempted to overdose and following that had disclosed that on multiple occasions alleged that Ohnstad had sexually assaulted her.
The first assault listed in the criminal complaint occurred on July 16, 2009. The victim was age 9 at the time of that assault and Ohnstad was 15 years of age. Two more incidents in 2010, one in 2011, and one in 2012 are listed in the criminal complaint.
Charges were filed against Ohnstad on May 31, 2016, according to public record. During a follow-up interview on February 16, 2016, the victim provided law enforcement with calendars from 2009, 2010, & 2011. On the calendars were marks which indicated the dates on which at least some of the alleged assaults had occurred.
The criminal complaint details the statements of the victim regarding the assaults. The victim stated to investigators that during some of the assaults, Ohnstad would reportedly get her alone and give her massages, starting with her feet and legs and progressing to her private parts. A specific incident recalled by the victim describes how Ohnstad allegedly offered to teach her how to play “Around the World” in basketball and while giving her verbal instructions in the game, he also allegedly put his hands in her pants and told her this is the way that it worked.
Another incident which reportedly occurred in December 2011 involved Ohnstad giving the victim a ride on a snowmobile. Ohnstad apparently told the victim to drive the snowmobile and then put his hands inside her snow pants while she was driving. The victim states that Ohnstad would not leave her alone even after they were off the snowmobile, and she threatened to tell what was happening if he did not leave her alone. He then stopped attempting further assaults that day. The victim stated to investigators that she then knew that Ohnstad knew that what he was doing was wrong.
The victim describes another attempted assault which reportedly occurred in April 2012 in which she was at her grandparent's cabin and a movie was playing. She describes remembering that Ohnstad attempted to grab her feet and she kicked him in the thigh. She reports that Ohnstad told her “it was okay”, however, she kicked him again. The victim stated to investigators that she was getting older at that point and had started to stand up to Ohnstad.
Public record shows that Ohnstad is also charged in Polk County Circuit Court with 3 counts of Class B Felony 1st Degree Child Sexual Assault – Sexual Contact with a Person Under the Age of 13 with an offense date listed for those charges on October 9, 2009. The details of that case are not known to DrydenWire.com at this time.
If convicted as charged, Ohnstad could face a maximum sentence of imprisonment in Wisconsin State Prison for 60 years on each count. There are no prior criminal convictions listed for Ohnstad on public record.
Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Last Update: Dec 14, 2022 11:51 am CST
