A former Douglas County jailer will spend the next 18 months behind bars for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl he met on the Internet.
Jeff Allen Luckenbill, 30, of Washburn was sentenced Monday in Douglas County Circuit Court to 15 years in prison for one charge of sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age. He pleaded guilty in August.
Judge Michael Lucci ruled Luckenbill could spend 13-1/2 years on parole if he meets the terms of his sentence.
For the teen and her family, Monday's decision was welcome.
"I think that'll give me closure to know he's in handcuffs, to know he's going to prison so he can get rehabilitated and never do this again," the victim's mother said. "It'll be nice to see it done."
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She waited about five minutes while Luckenbill had a hearing on a civil case to see him taken into custody.
As a condition of extended supervision, Luckenbill will not be able to own a computer or have access to one outside of work, nor is he to have access to the Internet or chat rooms.
Luckenbill met his victim by posing as a 23-year-old named "Mike" on an Internet chat room in the spring of 2004. The chats led to a phone conversation and a meeting behind a Superior gas station. The teen got into Luckenbill's truck, and he drove her to a deserted road in Billings Park where the two had sexual contact. When he dropped off the girl at the gas station, Luckenbill told her not to tell anyone what they did because he did not want to go to jail.
Luckenbill continued to contact the girl through instant messaging and phone calls. About a month later, the teen met him at another gas station and was driven to a garage on Hill Avenue near the Mariner Mall. There, Luckenbill attempted to have sexual intercourse with her. She refused but had oral sex, according to the criminal complaint.
The Washburn man continued to instant message the girl until she told him she had told a friend about what they did. When Luckenbill tried to contact the girl again about a year later, she notified police.
Luckenbill's employment with Douglas County was terminated on Jan. 3, the day he made his initial appearance in court, accoding to Douglas County Sheriff Tom Dalbec.
The Washburn man offered an apology prior to sentencing.
"I'd like to start off by saying how sorry I am for what I have done," he said. "I took away her innocence and trust in men."
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He said he had already taken the first step in admitting his addiction by joining a sex offender treatment program.
Psychologist Jeff Ballou with Lutheran Social Services said Luckenbill joined the program in January. An evaluation of the Washburn man showed he posed a low risk of reoffending, Ballou testified.
Other conditions of Luckenbill's release included sex offender registration, undergoing a sex offender evaluation, providing a DNA sample, having no contact with the victim or her family, having no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18. He was also ordered to pay $1,862.62 in restitution for the victim's therapy and counseling.
Luckenbill's attorney, Mike Milliken, requested that the former jailer be placed in protective custody while in prison due to his former employment. Lucci said that would be a determination for the Department of Corrections to make.
Assistant District Attorney Jim Boughner said arrangements had been made to house Luckenbill at the Bayfield County Jail to await transportation to state prison.
It is the Telegram's policy not to identify victims of sexual abuse.
Maria Lockwood covers public safety. E-mail mlockwood
@superiortelegram.com or call (715) 394-4421, ext. 132.
