City Times Staff

A 39-year-old man accused of molesting an 11-year-old girl in 2013 has requested a new attorney.

Scott Knuuttila, of Brandon, Wis., had been scheduled for a pre-trial conference in Portage Co. Circuit Court on Monday for a charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child under 12. According to the criminal complaint, Knuuttila molested the daughter of his friend during a May, 2013 hotel stay in Stevens Point.

In an interview with police, the girl said Knuuttila repeatedly touched her genitals while they shared a bed. The girl’s sister slept on a cot in the room. According to the complaint, Knuuttila was a friend of the victim’s father, and was taking a trip with the girl and her younger sister.

According to the complaint, Fond du Lac County deputies and Stevens Point police worked cooperatively to track down Knuuttila’s whereabouts after the victim’s mother came forward. Knuuttila was formally charged in Portage Co. Circuit Court last October.

Initially, neither the mother nor the girl knew the exact location of the hotel. Fond du Lac police used a building description from the girl, coupled with a geo-tag of Facebook messages sent between the girls’ father and Knuuttila while he was at the hotel.

Computer forensic specialists were able to determine the messages were sent from the east side of Stevens Point. The hotel in question provided a receipt proving Knuuttila stayed there May 17-18.

Knuuttila confirmed his hotel stay with the girls to Fond du Lac deputies when interviewed, and later admitted to touching the child and to watching child pornography, according to the complaint. A search of his cell phone revealed pornographic images primarily of prepubescent girls engaged in sexual activity.

Knuuttila is currently serving a four-year sentence after being convicted of multiple counts of possession of child pornography in Fond du Lac County. In that case he was also sentenced to three years of extended supervision; upon successful release he must register as a sex offender for 15 years.

If convicted in Portage Co. he faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.