Sexual assault suspect pleads guilty as victim’s family protests plea agreement

A man in his 30’s who allegedly claimed to be 19 when he sexually assaulted a teenage girl has pled guilty to repeated assaults of the victim. 

Thirty-nine-year-old Bruce Nelson of La Crosse reached a negotiated plea in court Friday. 

Charges were filed in 2019, shortly after the victim, who was then 14, had a baby reportedly fathered by Nelson.  The victim’s family picketed outside the La Crosse courthouse before the plea hearing, protesting a recommendation of 5 years in prison for Nelson. 

Judge Elliott Levine says the sentence for Nelson will be determined in a few weeks, and could go as high as 25 years behind bars.  

Nelson reportedly used the name “Tone McPherson” when he met the victim in 2018, and said he was 19. He was 37 at the time of his arrest.