Camp counselor pleads no contest to sex assault at church camp

WAUSHARA COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) - A state website for reporting abuse by clergy and faith leaders has resulted in the conviction of a former camp counselor at a Mount Morris camp in Waushara County.

Attorney General Josh Kaul says Remington Nystrom was accused of inappropriately touching a 10-year-old while the boy was sleeping at a church camp. Investigators say the assault happened in 2009, when Nystrom, now 33, was about 20 years old.

According to the criminal complaint, the boy said he woke up to find Nystrom reaching down his pants. The boy said he made sounds like he was going to wake up, and Nystrom quickly pulled out his hand. Kaul says the victim didn’t report it to the church or legal authorities at the time but reported it to the attorney general’s website to report clergy abuse.

Nystrom pleaded no contest Wednesday to a charge of Second-Degree Sexual Assault of a Child. The Department of Justice says he agreed that what was described in the criminal complaint is what happened. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in July. The crime carries up to 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Nystrom, who lives in Wisconsin Rapids, was added to the state’s sex offender registry in 2018 after he pleaded no contest to fourth-degree sexual assault of a child and causing mental harm to a child in a separate case.

This is believed to be the first case charged through the DOJ initiative. The case was investigated by the Waushara County Sheriff’s Office and victim services were provided by the Waushara County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Matthew Leusink handled the prosecution.

“This conviction was possible because of the bravery of the survivor who reported this crime and the commitment of professionals in the criminal justice system to holding the defendant accountable,” Kaul wrote in a statement Thursday.

Anyone abused by clergy or faith leaders, family members and friends of abuse survivors, or anyone with information about a religious organization’s response to reported abuse can report information to the DOJ website to report abuse or call toll-free 1-877-222-2620.