Milwaukee police shooting, child sex crimes; man sentenced to prison

MILWAUKEE - A man convicted of abducting and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy, who was later shot by Milwaukee police after pointing a gun at officers investigating the abduction, was sentenced to prison on Monday.

Prison sentence

In court:

Emilio Arner-Ortiz, 21, pleaded no contest to use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, and guilty to second-degree sexual assault of a child and misdemeanor intentionally pointing a firearm at a person, in August. Five other charges – including child abduction, child enticement and three counts of possessing child pornography – were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

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After Arner-Ortiz gave a long-winded speech minimizing his actions, Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski sentenced him to more than 15 years in prison – more than what was recommended as part of the plea deal.

What they're saying:

The mother of the now 15-year-old victim appeared in court by video. In a letter to the court, she said while she thought she was protecting her child, there was an adult taking advantage of him.

"My child should have been worrying about school, friends, growing up and being a kid," the boy’s mother wrote, noting the experience has affected their entire family, and changed the way they think about safety, trust, relationships and technology. "Instead, our family has to deal with consequences of an adult bringing adult issues into my child’s life."

Criminal investigation

The backstory:

On Nov. 7, 2024, police officers found the victim at 6th and Oklahoma, after the victim initially lied to his parents about being in Chicago’s south suburbs. The victim, was was 13 years old at the time, refused to say how he ended up in Milwaukee.

The following month, the boy’s parents went back to their south suburban police department with more information, after finding a picture of a man on their son’s computer. Court filings said the boy told police in Alsip, Illinois that he "ran away" with someone who he'd been talking to online. He said the person took him to Milwaukee, and they had sex at the person's home. He described the person as his "boyfriend" and claimed the person was 16 years old; Arner-Ortiz was 19-years-old at the time. Court filings said the victim had been chatting online with the "boyfriend" for three years. 

On Dec. 24, 2024, Milwaukee police officers went to a home near 7th and Arthur, on the city’s south side, looking for Arner-Ortiz. While talking with him, Arner-Ortiz pulled out a gun and a struggle ensued, with an officer shooting Arner-Ortiz.

Arner-Ortiz addresses court

What they're saying:

Arner-Ortiz took no responsibility during the roughly 30 minutes he spent speaking to the court during his sentencing, during which he opened himself to possible additional criminal and civil legal exposure.

"He just wasn’t groomed," said Arner-Ortiz, "I, furthermore, did not drive down to Illinois and bring him back to my house to have sex with him."

"Then why’d you bring him back for?" interrupted Borowski. "I’ll play along: Why did you bring him back for – after you drove down, drunk, to another state and bring a 13-year-old back to Wisconsin?"

"I was just a kid, I was bored, I was lonely," said Arner-Ortiz. "He happened to be online in the late hours – he was closest by, we were both shut-ins."

Dragged-out court case

Dig deeper:

Arner-Ortiz’ case has dragged through the court as he cycled through several defense attorneys and – at one point – planned on representing himself at trial in an admitted attempt to turn the case into a "circus."

Last month, Arner-Ortiz filed a pro se federal civil suit against Borowski and the prosecutor in the case, Matthew Torbenson, to compel the child victim to be present in court for sentencing. In the filing, Arner-Ortiz admitted to multiple elements of the crimes charged by prosecutors.

"It’s frivolous, meritless, in a year full of stunts," said Torbenson.

Prosecutors recommended, as a part of a plea deal with Arner-Ortiz’s attorney, 12.5 years in prison and 15 years of extended supervision. While in custody, Arner-Ortiz had his communication privileges revoked after hacking a jail-provided tablet to gain access to pornography websites.

Admission in court

What they're saying:

During Arner-Ortiz’s allocution Monday, he opened himself up to possible additional legal exposure. He admitted to sexually assaulting the victim in Illinois, which would be considered a separate crime committed in another jurisdiction. Arner-Ortiz also said he assaulted another child more than a decade ago, leading to his attorney, Colleen Taylor, to interrupt her client.

"I was a child," Arner-Ortiz said to Taylor, followed by a long pause as Taylor quietly advised him, before quickly redirecting the microphone away from Arner-Ortiz’s mouth after he said "statute of limitations" out loud.

FOX6 News has reached out to the Village of Alsip Police Department regarding the sexual assault Arner-Ortiz admitted to across state lines. 

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"Any sentence you get is related to your age and pleaded guilty," Borowski told Arner-Ortiz, after cutting Arner-Ortiz’s allocution off, noting he has no criminal record. "That rant or statement was full of half-truths, mistruths, lies, distortions."

Borowski said there needs to be significant punishment and deterrence in the case, adding that Arner-Ortiz must register as a sex offender for life.

"You took every possible step to manipulate and groom and act like, if not behave as – a monster with a young child," said Borowski.