Wisconsin prison officer sentenced for sexually assaulting inmates

JUNEAU, Wis.  A former correctional officer who is HIV-positive has been was sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually assaulting several inmates at the state prison in Fox Lake.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports 34-year-old Alex Wouts, of Poy Sippi, was sentenced Friday.

Wouts was found guilty on May 17 of five counts of second-degree sexual assault by correctional staff. A jury returned the verdict after a three-day trial.

Authorities say Wouts used his position of authority to coerce several inmates into unwilling sex acts.

Dodge County Assistant District Attorney James Sempf says it was one of the worse cases he had seen in his years of public service.

Sempf says that Wouts has known about his HIV status since July 2010.