- Details
- By Darren Thompson
Update March 1, 2022: On Friday, February 25, the Outagamie County District Attorney charged Rick E. Haberland for 13 counts of Possession of Child Pornography and 1 count of Possession of Methamphetamine—all felony crimes in the state of Wisconsin.
According to the criminal complaint, on Feb. 23, police conducted a search warrant at Oneida United Methodist Church and a nearby residence where Haberland lives. Police seized Haberland's phone and found more than 150 videos depicting sexual abuse of children were on the phone, the criminal complaint said. Police also seized 1.2 grams of methamphetamine in Haberland’s bedroom closet.
The Outagamie District Court issued a $100,000 cash bond for Haberland, where he remains in the Outagamie County Jail. The next court date is scheduled for March 10, 2022 at 10:30 am.
Class D felonies are punishable by up to 25 years in the Wisconsin prison, a maximum fine of $100,000, or both.
On Thursday, February 24, the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), executed a search warrant at the Oneida United Methodist Church and a nearby home regarding an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation and arrested Rick E. Haberland for multiple sex crimes against children on the Oneida Indian Reservation in Wisconsin.
The OCSO, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, arrested Haberland, Pastor for Oneida United Methodist Church, for 20 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of possession of methamphetamine, all felony charges punishable up to years in prison.
Haberland, 48, was booked into the Outagamie County Jail in Appleton, Wisconsin and awaits charges from the Outagamie County District Attorney’s Office. Because of the sensitivity of the crime and the position of the suspect, the identity of the suspect has been released to the public.
It’s unsure which circuit judge issued the warrant, but details will be released as more documents are filed, said Sergeant Mike Fitzpatrick of the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office in a phone call to Native News Online. The warrant was issued on a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
“This church is in the heart of the Oneida Reservation and likely attended by Tribal members,” said Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Mike Fitzpatrick in an email to Native News Online.
According to a press release issued by the OCSO, Haberland also served as the Pastor of New Hope United Methodist Church in De Pere, Wisconsin; Suring and Hickory United Methodist Churches in Suring, Wisconsin; Phillips United Methodist Church in Phillips, Wisconsin and Tabor United Methodist Church in Eden, Wisconsin.
The Oneida Indian Nation of Wisconsin has not released an official statement on this matter.
If you have information that can assist the investigation, please contact Sergeant Mike Fitzpatrick at (920) 832-5279 or [email protected].
More Stories Like This
MMIP Red Dress Installation Vandalized in AlaskaNCAI Mid Year Underway on Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Homelands
Native News Weekly (June 3, 2023): D.C. Briefs
House Passes Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal; How Native American Members of Congress Voted
History Made as First Navajo Appointed U.S. Federal Judge in California
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
