Former Wisconsin Rapids youth minister pleads not guilty to assaulting youth group member

WISCONSIN RAPIDS − A 52-year-old Colorado man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to sexually assaulting a member of his youth group while he worked as a youth minister at a Wisconsin Rapids church from 2000 to 2004.

James R. Lane, of Centennial, Colorado, pleaded not guilty to a charge of repeated sexual assault of a child. Lane waived his right to a preliminary hearing. A preliminary hearing is when prosecutors must show there is enough evidence that a crime was probably committed and the defendant probably committed it.

Wood County Circuit Judge Greg Potter found enough evidence to continue the case and scheduled Lane's next appearance for Oct 25.

According to the criminal complaint, in March, a 36-year-old woman told a Wisconsin special agent that Lane was the youth pastor at Faith Reformed Church in Wisconsin Rapids. She said when she was 14 or 15 years old Lane gave her a ride home after she babysat for his children. They were on a back road of State 13 when he began kissing her. The woman said Lane stuck his hands inside of her pants and touched her inappropriately, according to the complaint.

The woman said on several occasions, Lane would "lay her down" on the floor of his office or other areas of the church and would get on top of her and kiss her and touch her inappropriately. She said it happened about eight to 10 times while she was 14 or 15, according to the complaint.

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Two special agents talked to Lane on May 13. Lane said he had a "relationship" with a girl in the youth group that got "inappropriate." He confirmed the girl's identity and said he had inappropriately touched the girl, according to the complaint. He said there were three to six times when they went on drives in his car and did what he described as "heavy petting."

Lane said he and his family moved to Colorado in 2004.

If convicted, Lane faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33 .

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Former Wisconsin Rapids youth minister pleads not guilty to assaulting youth group member