MONROE - James M. Norquay, Juda, was found guilty Friday of four felony charges of sexual assault and two felony charges of incest against a teen-aged foster child he later adopted.
The jury deliberated for almost five hours, returning with the verdicts at about 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Green County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Vale ordered Norquay held without bond in the Green County jail. Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 19 at 9 a.m.
Vale instructed jury members before they moved to deliberations at about 3:20 p.m. Friday, after a full week of testimony.
Norquay, a former State Patrol officer, was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault of a child; three counts of sexual assault of a child by a foster parent; and two counts of incest with a child, all Class C felonies.
The crimes were alleged to have been committed at a residence in the Town of Clarno, between November 2008 and December 2009.
The criminal complaint against Norquay said he repeatedly assaulted the victim, who was 15 at the time, after she was placed in his home by Lafayette County Human Services in November 2008. Norquay and his wife Lori adopted the girl about a year later.
Attorneys in the case, Dennis Krueger, Assistant Attorney General at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, who prosecuted the case for Green County, and Eric Schulenburg, Madison, defense attorney for Norquay, spent about two hours in closing arguments Friday afternoon. The courtroom gallery was less than half full of observers. Many of them were family and friends of the defendant, and most sat behind Norquay and his attorney.
The jury had to return a unanimous verdict. Of the 14 jurors who sat through all the presentation of testimony and evidence this week, two, a man and a woman, were chosen at random by computer to be dismissed, leaving the deliberating jury with six men and six women.
In their closing remarks, both attorneys reviewed their belief of what the evidence and testimony had shown.
Both attorneys presented the alleged victim as a child growing into adulthood with a troubled history, marked by poor parenting, and with a tendency to lie.
However, Krueger made note of the testimony of experts and government officials, which he said collaborated with her accusations, and the physical evidence on coveralls and in e-mails between the defendant and alleged victim. The testimony and evidence, taken together, supports the alleged victim's version of incidents that happened over a period of about 14 months, Krueger said.
Schulenburg said that, while a small percentage of victims of sexual abuse will make false accusations of abuse against someone once, the alleged victim in this case was "rare" and "one of a kind" in that she made multiple allegations against Norquay. Schulenburg claimed she also had told other untrue stories of being pregnant, of having a baby and of having a miscarriage. Her fictional stories, a product of her "rich imagination" got better, with more details, as she got older, he added.
Schulenburg also indicated that the defendant had treated the girl well and had given her the attention that she craved but did not get growing up, until coming as a foster child to his home. He also pointed out details in her testimony that he claims raise a reasonable doubt about the validity of her allegations.
Krueger said the evidence he presented supported the alleged victim's version of the incidents, not that of Norquay's wife. Krueger claimed Lori Norquay became suspicious of the relationship between her husband and the girl and wanted the girl out of the house.
He quoted Lori Norquay as saying her husband had no responsibility in the situation. But Krueger said James Norquay took advantage of the girl's emotional need for attention and waited for opportunities to be alone with the alleged victim for the sexual gratification he received.
The jury deliberated for almost five hours, returning with the verdicts at about 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Green County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Vale ordered Norquay held without bond in the Green County jail. Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 19 at 9 a.m.
Vale instructed jury members before they moved to deliberations at about 3:20 p.m. Friday, after a full week of testimony.
Norquay, a former State Patrol officer, was charged with one count of second-degree sexual assault of a child; three counts of sexual assault of a child by a foster parent; and two counts of incest with a child, all Class C felonies.
The crimes were alleged to have been committed at a residence in the Town of Clarno, between November 2008 and December 2009.
The criminal complaint against Norquay said he repeatedly assaulted the victim, who was 15 at the time, after she was placed in his home by Lafayette County Human Services in November 2008. Norquay and his wife Lori adopted the girl about a year later.
Attorneys in the case, Dennis Krueger, Assistant Attorney General at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, who prosecuted the case for Green County, and Eric Schulenburg, Madison, defense attorney for Norquay, spent about two hours in closing arguments Friday afternoon. The courtroom gallery was less than half full of observers. Many of them were family and friends of the defendant, and most sat behind Norquay and his attorney.
The jury had to return a unanimous verdict. Of the 14 jurors who sat through all the presentation of testimony and evidence this week, two, a man and a woman, were chosen at random by computer to be dismissed, leaving the deliberating jury with six men and six women.
In their closing remarks, both attorneys reviewed their belief of what the evidence and testimony had shown.
Both attorneys presented the alleged victim as a child growing into adulthood with a troubled history, marked by poor parenting, and with a tendency to lie.
However, Krueger made note of the testimony of experts and government officials, which he said collaborated with her accusations, and the physical evidence on coveralls and in e-mails between the defendant and alleged victim. The testimony and evidence, taken together, supports the alleged victim's version of incidents that happened over a period of about 14 months, Krueger said.
Schulenburg said that, while a small percentage of victims of sexual abuse will make false accusations of abuse against someone once, the alleged victim in this case was "rare" and "one of a kind" in that she made multiple allegations against Norquay. Schulenburg claimed she also had told other untrue stories of being pregnant, of having a baby and of having a miscarriage. Her fictional stories, a product of her "rich imagination" got better, with more details, as she got older, he added.
Schulenburg also indicated that the defendant had treated the girl well and had given her the attention that she craved but did not get growing up, until coming as a foster child to his home. He also pointed out details in her testimony that he claims raise a reasonable doubt about the validity of her allegations.
Krueger said the evidence he presented supported the alleged victim's version of the incidents, not that of Norquay's wife. Krueger claimed Lori Norquay became suspicious of the relationship between her husband and the girl and wanted the girl out of the house.
He quoted Lori Norquay as saying her husband had no responsibility in the situation. But Krueger said James Norquay took advantage of the girl's emotional need for attention and waited for opportunities to be alone with the alleged victim for the sexual gratification he received.