Child sex crimes, bestiality; ex-Racine County deputy sentenced
Preston Kite
RACINE, Wis. - A former Racine County sheriff's deputy on Friday was sentenced to decades in prison for multiple felonies that included possession of child pornography, child sexual exploitation and bestiality.
In court
The backstory:
Preston Kite, 38, was charged last year with 45 total felonies and two misdemeanors across two different cases. Court records show he pleaded either no contest or guilty to a slew of charges in November.
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Between the two separate but related cases, Kite was sentenced to 65 years in prison and 40 years of extended supervision on Friday.
WARNING: Details of this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.
Racine County Sheriff's Office
Initial child porn case
The backstory:
Kite was first charged in February 2024, accused of messaging a man on an app and telling him to come into a Racine County truck stop bathroom. According to a criminal complaint, that man said Kite was in uniform in the bathroom and touching himself.
That incident led to an investigation, during which law enforcement searched Kite's personal cellphone and found child sex videos. Investigators said Kite exchanged messages with another man who claimed to be 18. The two exchanged multiple videos back and forth that featured adults having sex with young children.
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Subsequent child porn, bestiality case
The backstory:
A second criminal complaint, filed later in February 2024, alleged a search of Kite's iPad revealed multiple videos of what appeared to be bestiality pornography.
Prosecutors said one video appeared to show a man having sexual contact with a dog, and another appeared to show a man having sexual contact with a horse. There were also text messages on Kite's phone in which he allegedly told someone about sexual contact he'd had with a cow and a dog.
Preston Kite (November 2023)
After Kite was charged in the initial case, the complaint states detectives were contacted about Kite having babysat a 9-year-old child in January. Since that time, the child had been more clingy and exhibited "other behavior concerns." A detective asked the child about when Kite babysat; the child said something "weird" happened that the child was not OK with. Later, the complaint states the child told their mother that Kite asked the child to bring toilet paper to him in the bathroom, and the child said they saw Kite's genitals.
The search of Kite's personal cellphone allegedly revealed child sexual abuse material, including videos that showed young boys being sexually assaulted. Some of those videos served as the basis of the charges filed in both criminal cases against the former deputy.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Racine County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.