Former Wisconsin Rapids youth pastor pleads guilty to child sex assault

MADISON, Wis. – A former Wisconsin Rapids youth pastor has pleaded guilty to repeated sexual assault of the same child.

James Lane, 53, pleaded guilty on April 8 to the single charge. Officials say Lane, then a youth pastor at Faith Reformed Church in Wisconsin Rapids, admitted to assaulting the victim in Lane’s vehicle when he was driving the victim home. They say the assaults occurred between September of 2002 and December of 2003.

The victim in this case had not reported the assault to either church or legal authorities prior to reporting through the website for the Wisconsin Department of Justice Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative.

“As this conviction shows, the Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative is continuing to have an impact,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said. “Thank you to the courageous survivor whose decision to make a report has led to accountability for the defendant.”

Lane faces up to 40 years in prison at his sentencing hearing, which is set for June 3.

The Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative was launched in April 2021 and recently marked its fourth anniversary. It has encouraged survivors of faith leader abuse, their friends and family, or anyone who has information about the response to such abuse to report to Wisconsin DOJ.

The initiative has now resulted in criminal charges against three alleged abusers. Two of these cases resulted in a conviction of the accused child assailant, with the third ending in dismissal after the defendant died.

Another report resulted in the addition of a priest’s name to a diocesan list of individuals with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse.

In addition, the initiative has helped connect many survivors with victim services. Wisconsin DOJ will continue to work with survivors and their loved ones to follow up on information reported to Wisconsin DOJ and to provide support to those who have been impacted by clergy and faith leader abuse. The Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative will ultimately result in a final report.