Neillsville man sentenced to consecutive life sentences for sexual assault

Joseph C. Pierce Sr. was found guilty by a jury on Aug. 15 of two counts of repeated sexual assault of the same child, one count of sexual assault of a child, one count of seduction of a child, three counts of exposure of a child to harmful material. and one count of attempted first-degree sexual assault.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Daniel Diehn, who served as a bench judge in the Clark County case, sentenced Pierce to four consecutive prison terms on Thursday. Diehn imposed the sentences consecutively and without the possibility of parole, Clark County District Attorney Melissa Inlow said in a press release. He also threw out an additional 16-year prison sentence against Pierce.

Inlow, who prosecuted the case with Wisconsin Deputy Attorney General James Kraus, said he was pleased with the sentence. He said the defendant’s “despicable conduct and history of similar conduct make clear that the protection of the public can only be achieved by permanent incarceration.”