Four men celebrated the moment in the Hayward courtroom after sharing stories of abuse perpetrated by a man they once trusted. One of the victims, a teacher from Merrill, went public with his identity for the first time Thursday. Thomas Ericksen, 72, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on two charges of sexually assaulting boys while stationed at St.
Peter's Catholic Church in Winter. He also will be registered as a sex offender for life. Details from four other allegations also were considered in the sentencing: two from Sawyer County that were dismissed as part of a plea deal, and two from Lincoln County that never were filed in court but were investigated by the Merrill Police Department.
The two reports in Merrill dated to the late s and early s, when Ericksen was stationed at Holy Cross Hospital as a chaplain. Ericksen faced up to 15 years in prison on each charge, based on the statutes that were in place at the time the assaults occurred. The statute of limitations in Wisconsin, which today expires when the victim reaches a certain age, did not apply in this case, because Ericksen left the state.
Statutes of limitation can be paused until a defendant returns to the state. He was given 20 years on one charge and 10 years on the other. He was credited with days of time served in jail since his arrest, both in Minnesota before he was extradited and in Wisconsin.
The four victims in the courtroom grabbed each other's shoulders as Ashland County Circuit Court Judge Kelly McKnight handed down the prison terms after a two-hour hearing. McKnight, a substitute judge, spoke for over half an hour to explain that because of the nature of the crimes, the fact that they were repeated time after time and that Ericksen didn't seem genuinely remorseful, he had to impose the maximum sentence.
