GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Joseph Schinkten was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for the sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy.
Schinkten, 70, previously pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child. He was also placed on extended supervision for ten by Judge Donald Zuidmuilder.
Before the sentence was issued, Schinkten offered his “profound regret.”
“First and foremost, I apologize to the plaintiff, his mom and dad, and their sisters, for the pain and heartache that I have caused in your household and your happiness,” he said.
Judge Zuidmulder noted Schinkten’s extensive service to the community, but said he forfeited that reputation with these repeated acts against a vulnerable child. He also questioned Schinkten’s acceptance of responsibility for his acts.
According to the criminal complaint, the teen met Schinkten through the boy’s mother. In a police interview, the teen described alleged incidents of sexual contact with Schinkten, starting in mid-2023. The boy said he sent explicit photos of himself to Schinkten.
Schinkten told police he had a “mentor” and “best friend relationship” with the boy but denied there was any physical contact. A search of Schinkten’s phone confirmed the exchange of explicit text messages and photos, plus information confirming details of the boy’s descriptions of outings with Schinkten. Schinkten called the text exchanges “fantasy,” according to the complaint.
“If you think we ever crossed the line, we never did,” the complaint quotes Schinkten as saying.
Schinkten is the former president of a De Pere funeral home, and has served with multiple community organizations and boards.
