EAU CLAIRE — A convicted sex offender has pleaded not guilty to more than two dozen new charges.
Wade Hansen, 58, faces two separate cases. One includes only two charges: repeated sexual assault of a child and incest. The other has 26 counts, including sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child pornography, first degree child sexual assault.
Investigators said they found more than 15,000 separate images depicting child sexual abuse on three devices owned by Hansen. That led to the 26-count indictment. The discovery of those items was part of an investigation linked to the first case.
According to the criminal complaint, a young relative of Hansen said he sexually assaulted them in 2021, after Child Protective Services contacted police. The child’s mother said Hansen didn’t admit or deny the charges when confronted.
“Wade then told her that he grew up ‘where that is normal and so I thought that was normal,’” the complaint said. He also told her he thought “pedophilia was genetic and ran in the family.”
As authorities investigated that accusation, they found thumbnail images that appeared to be from deleted videos. Searches of Hansen’s electronics found a trove of other evidence, including one image with the message “It’s ok to be a pedo.”
The arraignment Wednesday covered both cases, and Hansen pleaded not guilty to all counts. He remains in custody at the Eau Claire County Jail.
Hansen first faced abuse charges in 2000 in Marathon County, where he was charged with two counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child and three counts of first degree sexual assault of a child. The latter charge is a Class B felony under Wisconsin law, with the potential for up to 60 years in prison.
Records show Hansen didn’t serve anything close to that. He entered guilty pleas to the first two counts and was sentenced to 20 years’ probation. That sentence was handed down in December 2003.
That timeline indicates Hansen was still on probation in October 2023, when the first Eau Claire County charges were filed.