Ex-Hortonville admin. convicted on child porn charge
APPLETON – A former Hortonville administrator charged with 16 counts of possession of child pornography pleaded no contest to one of those counts Thursday in Outagamie County court.
Patrick Vaile, 61, of Hortonville was charged in February after the Wisconsin Department of Justice received a cybertip regarding Vaile from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip indicated concern for children because of previous allegations against Vaile in Shawano County and a "current interest in activities involving children," the criminal complaint stated.
On Thursday, the 15 additional charges of possession of child pornography were dismissed and read in, meaning the judge can consider those charges at sentencing. The defense and prosecution presented a joint sentencing recommendation of five years in the Wisconsin State Prison System and seven years on extended supervision.
The hearing was originally set for a plea and sentencing, but Outagamie County Judge Vincent Biskupic adjourned the sentencing until Tuesday because of questions about why charges were not filed related to the Shawano County allegations. He said it was necessary to get answers to those questions because that information could influence his sentencing decision.
According to the complaint:
Investigators who searched Vaile's computer and a flash drive found about 169 images of child pornography, 16 of which were clearly sexually explicit. He told investigators that he believed he had more than 1,000 total images.
He also remembered a time while working at the Hortonville administrative office that he felt attracted to a 12-year-old girl but said he would not act on any sexual attraction he had toward a child.
Post-Crescent Media found that village officials did not conduct an in-depth background check on Vaile before hiring him in 2011. In 2001, Shawano County officials fired him for alleged possession of child pornography.
At the hearing, Eric Beine, a special agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, testified that investigators found about 2,200 images, a substantial number of which depicted nude children or child pornography.
On Thursday, Vaile detailed multiple incidents of sexual abuse he said he had endured as a child and that he had not told anyone about. He also said he started having manic episodes in the late 1980s and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He said in 2012 he became manic again, got caught up in illegal pornography and couldn't stop on his own.
Since then, he said, he has been working toward recovery and is taking responsibility for his actions.
"I know what I did was wrong," Vaile told the court.
— Alison Dirr: 920-993-1000, ext. 430, or adirr@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @AlisonDirr