Chris Ramirez
RACINE - A former Racine County sheriff's deputy who confessed to filming himself raping children and performing sex acts on animals will spend the next 65 years behind bars.
Preston Kite, 38, of Union Grove, pleaded guilty in November to 21 charges across two Racine County criminal cases, including those for possession of child pornography and bestiality.
The investigation also led to charges against Adam Westbrook, who at the time headed Outagamie County's Human Resources Department, and two other people.
At his sentencing Friday, Kite apologized to his victims and their families for his actions, and acknowledged he "betrayed the trust of the people."
Kite, his voice cracking at times as he spoke, said his mental health had careened into a "deep, dark spiral" at the time of the offenses, and that he began engaging in increasingly reckless and dangerous behavior to cope.
Racine County Circuit Court Judge Jon E. Fredrickson was unmoved. The judge said Kite's actions "tarnished" the image of law enforcement in Racine County and everywhere.
Kite was arrested Feb. 4, 2024, after an adult called 911 to report Kite had exposed himself to someone in a Racine County truck stop bathroom. He was on duty and in uniform at the time.
Kite's arrest triggered an investigation that led to the discovery of child pornography on his phone. Kite told authorities he received the videos from Westbrook, a friend.
Prosecutors believed Westbrook had earlier recorded the footage of a child at a Lake Delton hotel in January 2024, then sent them to the Racine County sheriff's deputy.
Other images retrieved from Kite's phone were graphic, depicting children being sexually abused and sex acts involving Kite with dogs and horses.
The investigation also resulted in the arrests of two other men: Jacob Boudreau, 30, of Appleton and Noah Thiel, 21, of Oconomowoc.
Westbrook faces a federal child pornography count as authorities say he took and shared videos of a pre-pubescent boy while at a Sauk County hotel in January 2024.
A judge in Winnebago County sentenced Boudreau to 15 years in prison, followed by 15 years of extended supervision.
Thiel was given a year behind bars and three years of probation after pleading guilty to bestiality crimes.
About a dozen Racine County Sheriff's employees were in packed into Fredrickson's courtroom to witness the sentencing, showing support for Kite's victims and the 74-deputy department whose reputation was damaged by his action.
One employee could be heard clapping after the sentence was handed down.
Fredrickson also ordered Kite to be placed on a lifetime sex offender registry.
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