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Wade pleads guilty to third-degree sexual assault
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Wade
MONROE - A Belleville man pleaded guilty Thursday to third-degree sexual assault after he had sex with an underage Belleville girl in 2014.

Eric C. Wade, 26, pleaded guilty to two Class G felony counts of third-degree sexual assault and a Class H felony count of contributing to the delinquency of a child. Additional charges, including a count of second-degree sexual assault of a child, were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

A Dane County bail jumping charge, which Wade incurred by meeting with the victim and her mother in violation of his bond conditions, was also dismissed.

Prosecuting attorney Shelly Rusch recommended a pre-sentencing investigation be conducted to determine the optimal sentence for Wade. However, she recommended no more than one year in jail and a probationary sentence.

Wade was charged earlier this year after Department of Justice investigators discovered sexually explicit Facebook correspondence between Wade and the victim in late 2014. Further investigation revealed Wade had met the victim for sex at least three times in August of that year.

Wade's sentence will be decided Nov. 21.