DATA BRIEF · State and federal records · Updated Nov. 13, 2026
Racine County substantiates child sexual abuse at a rate about 60% above the Wisconsin average. H.O.T. Government compared five years of state child-protection data, seven years of FBI crime data and the state Justice Department’s sex-offense dashboard for every county in Wisconsin. All three sources are public. None depends on records the Sheriff’s Office has not produced.
At a glance
- Child protective services: From 2020 to 2024, Racine County substantiated an average of 11.8 child sexual abuse allegations per 10,000 children each year. The statewide rate was 7.3. Among Wisconsin’s 17 largest counties, only Eau Claire was higher over that period, and Racine was the highest of any large county in 2022 and 2024.
- Police reports: On child sex-offense victims reported to police, Racine is close to the state average. FBI data for 2020–2025 shows 50.7 child victims per 100,000 residents served in Racine County, against 50.5 statewide.
- Where the abuse happens: About 37% of Racine’s child victims in police reports were abused by a family member, compared with about 29% statewide. Abuse inside the home is the kind CPS handles, which helps explain why Racine stands out in CPS data and not in police data.
- Agencies reported every month: The Sheriff’s Office, Racine Police, Mount Pleasant, Caledonia and Burlington filed all twelve months of crime data with the FBI in every year they appear in the federal files (the Sheriff’s Office from 2020). The data does not show under-reporting.
- CPS performance: Racine County CPS beats the state on most performance measures, including how fast it screens reports and how rarely abuse recurs. Its weak point was 2023–2024, when timely first contact with children in new cases fell below the state and the 95% standard.
What the state’s child-protection data shows
The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) publishes an annual Child Abuse and Neglect Report with county tables. The table below counts substantiated sexual-abuse allegations per 10,000 children aged 0–17.
| Year | Racine | Statewide | Racine rank, 17 large counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 10.1 | 7.7 | 4th |
| 2021 | 12.1 | 8.2 | 3rd |
| 2022 | 15.3 | 8.5 | 1st |
| 2023 | 8.3 | 6.0 | 5th |
| 2024 | 13.2 | 6.2 | 1st |
| 2020–2024 | 11.8 | 7.3 | 2nd |
Racine does not lead the state. Over the five years it ranks 15th of 72 counties, behind mostly small rural counties where a handful of cases moves the rate. Racine is above the state average in every year. “Large” means at least 20,000 children; 17 counties qualify.
What police reports show
The FBI publishes every Wisconsin agency’s incident-level crime reports, including the victim’s age and the offender’s relationship to the victim. H.O.T. counted victims aged 17 and under of rape, sodomy, sexual assault with an object, fondling, incest and statutory rape.
| Child victims per 100,000 residents served | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 49.6 | 59.7 | 55.8 | 51.1 | 45.3 | 41.8 |
| Racine County agencies | 48.4 | 47.0 | 43.2 | 47.9 | 56.4 | 62.5 |
Racine was below the state from 2020 to 2023 and above it in 2024 and 2025. The state Justice Department’s Sex Offense Dashboard tells the same story: from 2019 to 2023, Racine averaged 25.0 child victims per 10,000 children, against 27.0 statewide.
Among sheriff’s offices, Racine is in line with its neighbors. Child victims per 100,000 residents served, 2020–2025: Kenosha 42.4, Walworth 36.7, Racine 30.1, Eau Claire 30.0, Waukesha 21.5.
Why the two sources differ
CPS and police measure different things. CPS handles abuse by parents, caregivers and household members. Police reports include every kind of offender: strangers, acquaintances, teachers, coaches and family. Statewide, police record about 3.5 child victims for every CPS-substantiated allegation. In Racine the figure is about 2.1.
The FBI data rules out the simplest explanation for the gap, skipped reporting. It supports a different one: more of Racine’s child sexual abuse happens inside the family, where CPS sees it. Racine’s CPS also screens reports faster and more completely than most counties, which may mean it simply finds more.
How Racine County CPS performs
DCF publishes county performance measures for every child protective services agency.
| Measure (state target) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abuse recurs within 12 months (under 9.1%) | 2.5% (state 3.6%) | 0.9% (3.4%) | 2.9% (3.8%) | 1.9% (2.9%) |
| Reports screened within 24 hours (100%) | 98.6% (93.4%) | 98.7% (92.8%) | 98.5% (93.7%) | 99.1% (94.0%) |
| Caseworker monthly visits made (95%+) | 98.8% (96.5%) | 99.4% (96.2%) | 98.9% (96.9%) | 99.2% (96.5%) |
| First contact with child on time (95%+) | 95.7% (92.3%) | 90.9% (91.9%) | 90.4% (93.4%) | 95.8% (94.3%) |
| Assessment finished within 60 days (100%) | 80.7% (72.6%) | 74.2% (74.9%) | 77.1% (81.6%) | 98.3% (84.1%) |
In 2024 Racine ranked last of the 17 large counties on timely first contact with children in new cases. The measure recovered in 2025. These measures cover all maltreatment, not sexual abuse alone.
Convictions on the record
No agency tracks child sex convictions by the defendant’s job. These Racine County cases involving people in positions of trust were reported in the news at sentencing. Kenosha County, which is about the same size, has a comparable number of such cases among teachers, aides and clergy. This list does not suggest the cases are connected.
- Gary Becker, former Mayor of Racine. Pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child and child enticement; sentenced in 2010 to 3 years in prison.
- Preston Kite, former Racine County sheriff’s deputy. Sentenced Feb. 28, 2025, in Case Nos. 2024CF000164 and 2024CF000247; 21 counts; 55 years of initial confinement, 90 years total, as corrected July 14, 2025. Appeal pending. See The Kite File.
- Bernabe Leon-Alvarez, former Racine pastor. Convicted by a jury of repeated sexual assault of a child, child enticement and attempted sexual exploitation by a therapist; sentenced in January 2025 to 11 years in prison.
- Zachary Wendt, band teacher (Racine County case). Sentenced in 2023 to 2 years in prison for sexual assault of a 16-year-old.
- Justin Lizama, Case High School event staff. Sentenced in 2024 to 2 years in prison for the assault of a student.
- Daniel Powers, Dyer Elementary aide, Burlington. Sentenced in May 2025 after pleading guilty to two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and child abuse.
- Jamill Sanders, 21st Century Preparatory School behavioral interventionist. Sentenced in 2025 after no-contest pleas to two misdemeanor fourth-degree sexual assaults and felony child abuse.
- Nicholas Wotnoske, Mitchell Middle School custodian. Sentenced in April 2026 to 3 years in prison for possession of child pornography.
- Curt Johnson, S.C. Johnson family member and former Diversey chairman. A felony child sexual assault charge was reduced; he pleaded guilty in 2014 to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to 4 months in jail.
What this report does not show
- It does not show that Racine County leads Wisconsin in child sexual abuse. Fourteen counties have higher five-year CPS rates, most of them small and rural.
- It does not show that any police agency hid or failed to report cases. The county’s five largest police agencies reported every month.
- It does not show any connection among the convicted individuals listed above.
Questions H.O.T. is asking
- Racine County Human Services: What caused timely first contact with children in new cases to fall to 90.4% in 2024, last among Wisconsin’s large counties, and what changed in 2025?
- Racine County Human Services: What prevention services does the county fund for families, given a substantiated child sexual abuse rate 60% above the state?
- Sturtevant Police Department: The department reported no child sex-offense victims to the FBI in any year from 2021 through 2025, while serving about 6,700 residents. At the state rate, about three a year would be expected. Are such cases handled by another agency?
Methods and sources
- Wisconsin DCF, Child Abuse and Neglect Reports, calendar years 2020–2024, county appendices on substantiated sexual abuse and child population (2020 Census).
- Wisconsin DCF, Child Welfare Key Performance Indicators dashboard, county download tables, retrieved Nov. 13, 2026.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer, NIBRS incident-level files for Wisconsin, 2019–2025. Unique victims age 17 and under of offenses 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 36A and 36B; agencies reporting all 12 months; rates per agency-reported population. Family includes parent, stepparent, sibling, grandparent, in-law and other family relationships.
- Wisconsin DOJ, UCR Sex Offense Dashboard, Victims and Offenders tab, 2019–2023, data updated Aug. 2, 2024. The dashboard’s download is disabled, so counts were read from its charts and checked against its printed labels and totals.
- Wisconsin DOJ Bureau of Justice Information and Analysis, Law Enforcement Sexual Assault Reporting 2011–2015.
- Case details from news reports of each sentencing and the court record in State v. Kite.
H.O.T. Government never publishes the names or identifying details of child victims. Questions and corrections: use our tip line.