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Kevin Lintereur, 35, said in court Tuesday he was “sickened” by his actions, apologized to the girl and promised La Crosse County Circuit Judge Dale Pasell he will not reoffend.
But Pasell said Lintereur deserved prison for his actions and to send the message such behavior will not go unpunished.
Lintereur pleaded guilty in September to using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime. As part of the plea agreement, three counts of sexual assault of a child under 16 were dismissed but considered at sentencing.
According to court records, Lintereur and the teen began an Internet relationship in fall 2006. After chatting several times a day for a period of time, Lintereur arranged a meeting. He picked the teen up outside an elementary school, and they had sex at his workplace.
Over the next several weeks, the two had sex two more times. The girl later said she didn’t want to tell her parents about the relationship because she thought Lintereur loved her, but she reported him to police in January 2007.
By then, Lintereur was in the midst of a new online relationship, this time with a Holmen police officer Linter-eur thought was a 13-year-old female, La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke said in court Tuesday.
Before he was sentenced, Lintereur told the teen he hates himself for the pain and stress he caused her and still has not forgiven himself for his actions.
“I am disgusted with myself for my behavior,” Lintereur said. “The pain I have caused myself, my wife and family and so many others wears on me every day.”
Pasell noted the sentence would be painful for Linter-eur’s wife and two children, but said Lintereur is to blame and the girl should not feel guilty over what happened.
“You used her to satisfy your own needs,” Pasell told Lintereur. “It’s clear to me that she was an object for you and not a human being.”
Dan Springer can be reached at dspringer@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8269.
