Convicted sex offender faces three felony charges in district court

A 21-year-old Oakdale man was bound over to Antelope County district court on three felony counts by the Honorable Donna Taylor on Wednesday.

Wesley D. Hattula, currently incarcerated, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was bound over on charges including incest, a Class 2A felony; manufacture of child pornography, a Class 1D felony; and possession of child pornography, a Class 4 felony, all alleged April 21.

District court arraignment was set for May 27, before the Honorable Mark Johnson.

Hattula was arrested April 24 and is held on a $100,000 bond, with a condition for no contact with anyone under 18, either direct or indirect. Public defender Patrick Carney of Norfolk was appointed to represent him April 29.

Formal charges were filed by Antelope County Attorney Joe Abler on May 6.

According to a probable-cause for detention affidavit filed in the case, Hattula was at the Antelope County Law Enforcement Center in Neligh updating information for the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry on April 24, when a call came in reporting the allegations involving a juvenile family member.

He was interviewed by officers and allowed access to his cell phone, which allegedly contained photos of the juvenile, who was subsequently interviewed at the Northeast Nebraska Child Advocacy Center in Norfolk.

According to the Sex Offender Registry website, Hattula is a lifetime registrant, convicted in March 2011 of felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Stephenson County, Illinois.