Milwaukee child neglect case from 2023; Joel Manke sentenced, 10 years

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MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man accused of neglecting two children who were found naked and bloody was sentenced on Monday, April 7 to ten years in prison plus an additional ten years of extended supervision in connection with a 2023 case of chronic child neglect.

Before Joel Manke was sentenced on Monday, he entered guilty pleas to two charges of chronic neglect of a child. Two charges of false imprisonment were dismissed and read into the court record for the purposes of sentencing. 

Case details

What we know:

Manke was charged along with Katie Koch. 

Police responded to the neighborhood near 71st and Stevenson on July 13, 2023. There, a criminal complaint states officers learned from neighbors that two kids were walking around naked with blood on them. 

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Prosecutors said police made contact with Koch, who was on the phone with a man, asking if he was "almost home, so you can help explain what's going on." Court filings said the home was uninhabitable, with police describing a "terrible hoarding situation."

Home near 71st and Stevenson

A 7-year-old child was found with red marks on his body. The complaint said Koch told police both children, ages 7 and 9, had broken a window and ran away – but police didn't find lacerations indicative of cuts from broken glass. A neighbor told investigators, however, that he saw the kids break the window and run from the home.

While police were at the house, Koch denied abusing the kids, grabbing clothing for them and telling officers: "I'm so sorry. I'm so afraid."

Police found trash, garbage and the smell of urine and feces throughout the home. The complaint said there was feces smeared on the walls in the children's room and a latch on the outside of their door. Koch said it was not "just feces" but "clay, paint and chocolate."

The complaint said Manke arrived shortly thereafter. Prosecutors said he admitted to putting boards on the windows in the kids' room "to keep the children from bothering the nosey neighbor" and a latch on their door "to lock the kids in the room overnight to keep them from wandering due to their autism." He said the children did not attend school or see a doctor during the time he had known them.

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According to prosecutors, Koch said she "home schools" the children, describing "Hooked on Phonics workbooks" and "educational apps" on their tablets but admitting she didn't have a proper curriculum for them. She said the 7-year-old cannot write but can trace letters and read "small words." She said the 9-year-old was learning how to put sentences together.

Manke added that he "knew how the children were living was not right, but he had to pick his battles with Koch to avoid arguments," the complaint states.

Katie Koch; Joel Manke

According to prosecutors, one neighbor told police he had lived in his home for over 30 years and had never seen a child at the home where Koch and Manke lived.

Koch admitted the home was not habitable and the children "deserved better," the complaint said. Prosecutors added that she wrote a three-page apology letter to the children.

Koch was sentenced in February 2024 to ten years in prison plus ten years of extended supervision. She also pleaded guilty to charges against her.