A Shell Lake, WI man has entered not guilty pleas to 9 counts of child sex crimes in Burnett County Circuit Court. A 5-day Jury Trial has been scheduled in the case for 2018, starting on July 30.

Kody Pettis appeared in Burnett County Circuit Court on October 31, 2017, for an arraignment hearing, according to online circuit court records.

Pettis entered a plea of not guilty to all his charges which include 1 count of 2^nd degree sexual assault, a Class C Felony; 3 counts of Child Enticement – Expose Genitals, a Class D Felony; 3 counts of Child Enticement – Sexual Contact, a Class D Felony' 1 count of Use a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime; and 1 count of Child Sexual Exploitation, a Class F Felony.

Charges were filed against Pettis following an investigation by law enforcement which revealed that Pettis was utilizing social media to communicate with underage females in order to have conversations of a sexual nature with them. The criminal complaint filed against him stated that Pettis coerced at least one female victim into giving him a 'handjob'.

In April of 2017, the Court ordered that Pettis undergo a competency evaluation. No indication as to the outcome of that report is listed on online circuit records.

A Jury Trial has been scheduled regarding Pettis' charges starting on July 30, 2018 and is scheduled to last 5 days.

The Court placed Pettis on a $10,000 cash bond which was posted in April 2017.

Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

**Previous Post**

Court Modifies Bail Bond for Shell Lake Man Charged with 9 Counts of Sex Crimes

Tuesday, May 30, 2017 | DrydenWire

 According to public record, Kody Pettis appeared in Burnett County Circuit Court on May 24, 2017, regarding his felony charges for 2^nd Degree Sexual Assault and Child Enticement.

DrydenWire.com reported on April 13, 2017 that Pettis is facing 9 felony counts, to include 1 count of 2^nd degree sexual assault, a Class C Felony; 3 counts of Child Enticement – Expose Genitals, a Class D Felony; 3 counts of Child Enticement – Sexual Contact, a Class D Felony' 1 count of Use a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime; and 1 count of Child Sexual Exploitation, a Class F Felony. 

These charges stem from an investigation which revealed that Pettis was utilizing social media to communicate with underage females in order to have conversations of a sexual nature with them. 

A competency evaluation of Pettis was ordered by the Court on April 12, 2017. Public record shows that on May 2, 2017, a report was received by the Court from an Examining Psychologist, however, no details are listed regarding the outcome of that report or whether the Court has made a determination based on that psychological examination.

On May 24, the Court modified Pettis's bail bond from $10,000 case to $2,500 case with $7,500 surety to be co-signed by Pettis's mother. According to the notes lon public record, Pettis is still prohibited from using any form of social media and is not allowed any contact with juveniles under the age of 18 other than extended family members, and then only with supervision by an adult family member.

DrydenWire.com confirmed that as of May 26, 2017, Pettis remained in the custody of the Burnett County Jail.

Pettis is scheduled to appear again in Burnett County Circuit Court on July 5, 2017, for a pre-trial conference. A plea hearing is also scheduled for Pettis on August 8, 2017.

**Previous Post**

Court Orders Competency Evaluation for Kody Pettis

Thursday, April 13, 2017 | DrydenWire

Court Orders Competency Evaluation for Shell Lake Man Charged in Burnett County With 9 Counts of Sex Crimes.

Public record shows that Kody Pettis appeared in Burnett County Circuit Court on April 12, 2017. The Court ordered that a competency evaluation be completed by April 26, 2017. Pettis remains in custody at the time of this update, and is scheduled to appear again on April 26.

**Previous Post**

Shell Lake Man Charged with 9 Felony Counts of Child Sex Crimes

April, 2017 | DrydenWire

Editor's Note: This story contains graphic details that may not be suitable for all readers.

Six underage victims have come forward and given testimony to the Siren Police Department that a Shell Lake man engaged in sexual acts with them. The resulting investigation resulted in 9 felony counts being filed in Burnett County against Kody Pettis.

According to the criminal complaint obtained and reviewed by DrydenWire.com, Kody Pettis, of Shell Lake, Wisconsin, utilized Facebook to befriend and to communicate with at least 6 underage victims, allegedly leading to sexually related interactions with all 6.

The first incident listed in the criminal complaint occurred on November 22, 2016, in which Pettis coerced one victim into giving him a 'handjob'. The victim was 13 at the time and Pettis was 20. Pettis apparently followed up after this encounter by sending messages asking the victim to not say anything.

During interviews conducted with the victims, the Siren Police Department discovered that some of the victims knew each other and that Pettis communicated with at least one victim, telling that victim to tell another victim to 'not say anything'. Pettis also apparently communicated with a brother of one victim, sending him a picture of naked male genitalia and asking the brother to help him 'get with' the victim.

The complaint alleged that Pettis utilized the Facebook Messenger app to communicate with the victims and exchange naked pictures and arrange possible meetings to engage in sexual activities. While interviewing the victims, investigators discovered that Pettis convinced at least one of the victims to exchange naked photos with him; and that he communicated with the victims about having sexual intercourse with them.

The criminal complaint states that Pettis told at least one of the victims his own age was 20 years old and that the victim confirmed their age as 15 years old. One of the victims provided investigators with a conversation in which Pettis said that he was sorry and where he also said he was “done talking to you youngsters. I gotta stop being a f***ing creep.”

The victims range in age from 14 years old to 17 years old.

Pettis has been charged with 9 felony counts, to include 1 count of 2^nd degree sexual assault, a Class C Felony; 3 counts of Child Enticement – Expose Genitals, a Class D Felony; 3 counts of Child Enticement – Sexual Contact, a Class D Felony, 1 count of Use a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime, a Class C Felony; and 1 count of Child Sexual Exploitation, a Class F Felony.

The charges Pettis faces carry maximum penalties of 25 to 40 years confinement in state prison if convicted as charged.

Public record shows that Pettis appeared on April 10, 2017, for a bail bond hearing and the court ordered a cash bond of $10,000 and no use of social media and no contact with juveniles under 18 unless a member of the household where he is living.  Pettis is next scheduled to appear in Burnett County Circuit on April 12, 2017, for an Initial Appearance on his felony charges.

Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.