Editor’s note: This article may contain disturbing content not suitable for children and/or those who are survivors of sexual or domestic violence. Please take care when reading.

ELLSWORTH – A 21-year-old Ellsworth man convicted of felony second-degree sexual assault of a child (repeater) has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office deputies immediately took Wyatt Blomberg into custody after Judge Elizabeth Rohl sentenced him in front of a packed, silent yet emotional courtroom Tuesday, Feb. 17. He was also fined $518 and ordered to pay $5,717.42 in restitution. During extended supervision, he is prohibited from drinking alcohol, viewing pornography or having contact with anyone under the age of 18 without approval (including family). His felony conviction prohibits him from voting or holding public office until his civil rights are restored. He will never be allowed to possess a firearm, must register as a sex offender for life and is prohibited from working or volunteering in a position that is primarily with children.

Blomberg pleaded guilty to felony second degree sexual assault of child (lifetime supervision of serious sex offenders, repeater) Nov. 5. Felony repeated sexual assault of same child (at least three violations of first- or second-degree sexual assault, lifetime supervision of serious sex offenders, repeater), felony use a computer to facilitate a child sex crime (lifetime supervision of serious sex offenders, repeater) and felony bail jumping charges were dismissed. In a separate case, felony battery by prisoners (repeater), felony substantial battery – intend bodily harm (repeater) and felony bail jumping (repeater) charges were also dismissed.

Pierce County District Attorney Halle Hatch spoke first at the sentencing hearing, asking for 14 years in prison and 11 years of extended supervision. Both sides of the courtrooms were packed, with survivors and their family members and Blomberg supporters.

“This defendant has a pattern of sexually assaulting underage girls,” Hatch said, referencing up to 17 girls to the defense’s objection, and three prior sexual assault convictions.

She argued that case law allows the court to consider all prior cases, even those that were dismissed.

“This is not just an isolated incident but shows what a detriment he has been to the underage girls in this community,” Hatch said.

She spoke of the extreme impact his conduct had on the victim, who was 14 at the time she and Blomberg starting talking. She referenced the bullying the victim has endured from “people in a small town who sided with” Blomberg, including victim-blaming.

“The law considers children under the age of 16 extremely vulnerable,” Hatch said.

Deterrence is a major thing to consider in sentencing, she added, “especially because of how invested the community is in this case.”

“This case has rocked the small comm of Ellsworth and bled into parts of the county as well,” Hatch said.

Hatch read a statement from the victim in the case, who is now 16.

“When I was 14 years old, a part of my life was taken from me that I cannot get back,” she wrote. “He preyed on my innocence and over time, I learned what happened to me is not ok and is not normal.”

The case has affected her belief in herself, her reputation and her relationships with friends and family.

“It has been the talk of the whole town. I thought all those girls were lying because I believed everything that came out of his mouth,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt just one person or moment; it changes how someone sees the world. I want justice for all of the other girls that he hurt. I don’t want any more people hurt.”

A family member read a statement on the victim’s mother’s behalf.

“I stand before you today as a mother carrying a kind of grief that no parent should ever have to bear,” she read “I grieve the girl she was before this happened.”

She described her daughter as young, trusting, eager to belong and wanting to know how the world works before her innocence was stripped.

“She lost far more than anyone should ever lose. Her sense of safety, her ability to learn and thrive without fear, the simple joy of being a carefree child, she was trying to survive something she could not comprehend,” she read. “The weight of this trauma is even heavier. Silence is often easier than truth. Victims voices’ are too often minimized, questioned or dismissed in Ellsworth.

"The system knew who he was and what he had done before, and he was free to reoffend. It failed our daughter, family and every child who crossed his path.

“Despite everything, my daughter is still here, rebuilding herself piece by piece. She is learning to speak even when some would prefer that she remain quiet. A stolen childhood cannot be returned. The fear she carries will not disappear when this hearing ends.”

The victim’s father wanted it clearly stated that he is “severely disappointed in the Pierce County Court system as a whole” and that “delay after delay” left the victims in limbo.

“This failure sends a devastating message,” he said.

He lambasted the Hines and Blomberg families and the “almighty dollar itself” protecting the “high school quarterback.” Their actions destroyed 48 years of family friendship, he said, accusing them of having celebration after celebration and taking fancy vacations, using “25 cousins to fill the courtroom making Wyatt seem like such an outstanding member of the community.”

“However, I look at the positives of this entire thing. I have been fortunate to meet some of the most amazing young ladies, and they’re not ghosts, I can promise you that,” he said.

Blomberg’s side

Blomberg’s attorney Aaron Nelson read a statement from Blomberg saying he “accepts full responsibility for my actions and the pain they have caused.”

“Through reflection and counseling I realize that my actions caused real fear and emotional distress and violated her safety and trust. I do not expect forgiveness, and I know words alone cannot undo the damage I caused,” Nelson read.

He said he recognized the harmful thinking patterns he’s used and has learned to respect boundaries in sex offender therapy. He also expressed gratitude for the support of his family and loved ones.

During his sentencing arguments, Nelson referenced the Wisconsin Supreme Court case State v. Gallion, “that refined sentencing requirements under ‘Truth-in-Sentencing.’” It says that while sentencing remains at the court’s discretion, judges must provide a clear, explained rationale for the sentence, prioritizing rehabilitation, public protection, and offense severity, according to wicourts.gov He requested the judge consider sentencing Blomberg to probation, not prison.

He asked the judge to use a reasoned, moral response that triumphs over anger, fear or any emotion that we have.

“This is clearly a case that has, for many good reasons, generated lots of emotions, many of which are anger and fear,” Nelson said. “I wish I had a way to make that anger and fear go away.”

He reasoned that retribution is not always morally appropriate or necessary.

“Retribution serves no purpose in society, but punishment does. But punishment for punishment’s sake alone is just retribution. I can’t reconcile a world in which we cause suffering for the sake of causing suffering,” he said.

Nelson said the world should strive for accountability, but that doesn’t mean retribution.

“Accountability happens in treatment, not in jail,” Nelson said. “We’ve heard the term monster and that’s a term that’s harmful to everyone in society. If we make him into a monster and otherize him…then any sentence that your honor is going to give is not going to help with deterrence.”

He argued that the victim and Blomberg were four years apart, and while a serious crime, no force, threats of force or violence was used. He claimed that Blomberg has matured and grown over the past four years and is not a danger to the public.

“It’s not necessary to protect the public from the community because he is living in the public now and has been since his release, doing everything he is supposed to do,” Nelson said.

“At the end of the day, I think we’re here about protecting the public. Fear-based narratives don’t protect our community. There’s no homogenous category of sex offender that applies to the character of everyone.”

Judge’s decision

Rohl said that the factors the court is directed to consider don’t often point to a clear path. The court has the discretion to look at a number of things to determine a sentence between 0 and 40 years. She emphasized a need to protect the public and whether or not the defendant is going to commit additional crimes with “no way of really of knowing that.”

She said the character letters submitted on Blomberg’s behalf “paint a very different portrait than those who have called him a monster.”

“While his prior cases in Pierce County were not in front of myself, I am aware of them,” Rohl said. “I also agree that it is not a total picture of Mr. Blomberg. His friends and family know a very different person. No one person is required to be just one thing. He can be a good family member, friend, …but there is no doubt that he committed these criminal acts and these crimes that have had a profound effect on the victim in this case.

“I understand the anger that has been recited here today and in prior proceedings. I am sympathetic to it, but the court as directed has to look at all the factors and it’s not the only thing the court will factor into consideration.”

She reiterated that Blomberg was on probation when he committed the offense in this case, and she has no doubt he was aware of the legality of his behavior.

“He knew her age, she was a friend of his sister, there’s no mistaking that fact. No miscommunication there,” Rohl said. “It’s also clear that Mr. Blomberg took a number of efforts to avoid detection. I find it very hard to believe that anyone would have considered that a real relationship. I think the facts of this case show that Mr. Blomberg knew full well what he was doing was wrong.”

She said when weighing prior charges and statements, many of which he denied if not all, she is concerned about his repeated behavior, multiple victims and his inability to control his behavior even while under the supervision of probation.
 “I have frank concerns that Mr. Blomberg is a sexual predator,” Rohl said. “The community was not protected while he was under the supervision of probation. This crime happened while both of those things (probation and treatment) were in place, so the court is not satisfied that a probationary sentence would be sufficient to safeguard the community.”

She ended by saying the age of the victim was important in her decision to sentence him to 10 years in prison.

“The victim in this case is going to face lifelong effects,” she said. “While there wasn’t force, while there wasn’t violence… the age of the victim in this case is what needs protecting.”

After the hearing, victims and their families shed tears and embraced in the hallway.

Case history

Blomberg remained free on $2,500 cash bond between his conviction and sentencing.

According to the complaint:

Ellsworth police received a sexual assault complaint on Feb. 7, 2024 from a female juvenile’s parents after they found Blomberg hiding under the covers of their daughter’s bed on Feb. 6. They learned the pair had been having sex in their home up to three times a week for a few months.

The mother said she woke up on Feb. 6 and noticed the service door to the garage was unlocked and partially open. She thought that was odd since she makes sure all doors are shut and locked each night. This was the fifth time in the last three weeks that she noticed the door unlocked.

She went into her daughter’s room around 6:30 a.m. to say good morning. She asked her daughter who had been coming in to the house and she finally admitted it was Blomberg. The mother went back into her daughter’s room and found Blomberg hiding under the covers.

The teen later told police Blomberg and she had sex on multiple occasions and that he took the condoms home with him. They communicated via Snapchat, which can save or delete messages upon viewing. A forensic analysis of his phone showed he had sent her photos of his genitalia. Police also uncovered text conversations between Blomberg and his parents in which he told them about the relationship after being questioned about his whereabouts. One text from Blomberg’s mother said, “OMG!!! This is horrible she is 15!!!! WTF?!”

A neighbor’s camera showed Blomberg’s car parked in front of the teen’s house at different times of the day and night, including on a day she was supposed to be home sick from school. She said she’d met Blomberg at his graduation party the summer of 2023. She saw him again at his dad’s house on Christmas Day 2023. No adults were in the house and when her friends went outside to get something, Blomberg kissed her. He later kissed her in the backseat of a car while she was getting a ride home.

Blomberg went to the girl’s house multiple times over the next few weeks and sneaked into the house. They usually set an alarm for 2 a.m. but fell asleep the morning her mother discovered him there. The teen told investigators she felt manipulated by Blomberg, who gave her gifts and money. 

During these incidents, Blomberg was out on bond in Pierce County with conditions of not committing any crimes.

Prior cases

Blomberg was arrested Feb. 29, 2024 by Ellsworth police for a probation violation after a fight broke out in the Pierce County Jail between Blomberg and another inmate. After they’d been separated and put on lock down, their injuries were evaluated. Blomberg had an abrasion on his knee that was leaking clear fluid. The other inmate had a red dot to the left of the iris in his right eye, a headache and a neck ache. He also had swelling in his left cheek and said he’d lost consciousness during the fight. EMS evaluated him and transported him to Western Wisconsin Health in Baldwin.

Blomberg didn’t have significant injuries nor did he request to be evaluated. The district attorney added the charges onto his other charges, but as stated above, those charges were dismissed.

In a previous sexual assault case against Blomberg, five juveniles (middle school age and older) reported being sexually assaulted by Blomberg and/or forced to have intercourse with him without their consent in incidents ranging from Spring 2019 to June 4, 2021. The alleged incidents were reported to have taken place on school grounds, in private homes or vehicles. Those charges were filed March 29, 2022.

On Dec. 7, 2022, the court granted a motion to sever charges. District Attorney Halle Hatch explained that the defense attorney filed a motion to “sever” the charges, or in other words to separate the charges so that all of the sexual assaults could not be tried in one trial to the same jury. The court granted the request to sever, which means that all the different victims’ cases had to be tried independently of each other.

Blomberg pleaded no contest and was convicted of three fourth degree sexual assault charges May 8, 2023 in Pierce County Circuit Court. It was stipulated that he register as a sex offender for the next 15 years. At that time, he was sentenced to two years of probation, which was in force when he was arrested Feb. 9, 2024 in relation to the new sexual assault charges. Felony second degree sexual assault, exposing genitals/pubic area/intimate parts – child act as actor/close age of actor and child and sexual contact with child age 15/actor under 19 charges were dismissed. Also on May 8, 2023, Blomberg posted a $10,000 signature bond on the remaining felony third degree sexual assault and felony second degree sexual assault charges with the requirement that he commit no new crimes.

At a jury trial in December 2023, the hung jury said they were deadlocked on the two remaining felony sexual assault charges after five hours of deliberation, so a mistrial was declared and the bond remained in place.

“Some of the charges were dismissed as part of the agreement; three of the sexual assaults were pled guilty to by the defendant – three counts of fourth degree sexual assault. Yes, charges were amended to reach a resolution on some of the charges to take into account information learned from the first trial. The original prosecutor on the case was Joseph Schieffer. He no longer works in our office, so I took the case over after the mistrial to retry the case,” Hatch said. “The last trial resulted in a hung jury, so the jury could not come to a unanimous decision. Thus, the court granted a mistrial. That still allows us to proceed with the case and we tried the case again. Mistrials are discouraging. Trials are often traumatic in many ways and repeating a trial can inflict additional trauma.”

As Hatch prepared for the new trial related to the first set of charges (that had been separated due to severing), the Department of Corrections decided to revoke Blomberg’s probation on June 7, 2024, at which time he was placed in Pierce County Jail.

In July 2025, a jury found Blomberg not guilty of felony second degree sexual assault/use of force. Hatch said she was surprised by the not guilty verdict.

“Sexual assault cases are always challenging to prosecute. Many members of the public have different pre-formed ideas or beliefs about sexual assault and sexual assault victims when they present to serve as jurors,” Hatch said. “It can be incredibly difficult to identify and address long held misconceptions while staying within the bounds of the rules and procedures of the court.”