Pair arrested in between Fairchild and Stanley, held in jail on cash bonds

Staff Report

A man and woman from Eau Claire and Clark Counties are facing felony charges related to trafficking and other crimes after they were arrested Tuesday April 7 between Stanley and Fairchild on County H by Eau Claire and Chippewa County personnel.

Mark Sherwood Scoville Sr., age 57, and Catherine Ottinger, age 45, were arrested and booked in the Eau Claire County Jail Tuesday April 7, making their initial court appearances separately via ZOOM meeting technology in Eau Claire County Court on April 8.

As a result of her initial appearance, Ottinger was held in the County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond with conditions, including to maintain absolute sobriety, having no contact with anyone involved in illegal ding activities (except in a therapeutic setting), having no contact with anyone under the age of 18, and having no contact with either M.O or M.S. Sr., the two being listed only by initials.

For Scoville Sr., meanwhile, his initial appearance resulted in being held on a $25,000 cash bond, also with conditions. Among Scoville’s bond conditions are no contact with six individuals listed by only their initials (one being “C.O”), maintaining absolute sobriety, having no contact with anyone involved in illegal drugs (except in a therapeutic setting), and having no contact with any place where drug use or possession is.

A cash bond differs from a signature bond in that a signature bond incurs financial loss on the defendant’s part if he/she fails to show on the given court date, while a cash bond must be paid prior to the defendant being allowed to leave jail as a case continues to develop. So long as a defendant shows up in court a cash bond is returned, though both Ottinger and Scoville Sr. remained listed as inmates at the Eau Claire County Jail as of Sunday April 11.

Following his initial court appearance, Scoville Sr. had a preliminary hearing on Tuesday April 13 before Judge Emily Long, while Ottinger is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Judge John Theisen on April 20 in Eau Claire County Court.

Ottinger, whose address is listed as “homeless” from Eau Claire Wisconsin, is charged with two counts in relation to her April 7 arrest; the first charge being 948.051(1) Trafficking of a Child, and the second being 948.055(1) Causing Child older than 13 to View/Listen to Sexual Activity. Near identical charges to those Ottinger now faces in her April 7 arrest were dropped back in August 2019 on a prosecutor’s motion, a modifier to the dropped charges being that of “party to a crime,” or PTAC. No such modifier is included in the new charges.

Felonies range in their level of seriousness from Class A (most serious) through Class I See ARRESTS, Page 9

Mark Scoville Sr. Catherine Ottinger ARRESTS

FROM PAGE 1 (least serious), with Trafficking of a Child a Class C felony in state law, the other charge faced by Ottinger a Class H felony.

Ottinger’s most recent conviction as listed on the Wisconsin Court Access website is for Operating While Suspended, a non-criminal traffic charge resulting in monetary forfeiture only. Scoville Sr., meanwhile, has a much longer dossier than Ottinger in relation to the case that resulted in the pair’s April 7 arrest, after warrants were previously issued for the two on March 24.

As to the court charges stemming from his April 7 arrest, Scoville Sr. of 3563 Stuve Road in Humbird, Wisconsin, had over 32 case-related counts listed at the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Website as of Sunday, April 11. All but one of the charges faced by Scoville Sr., is a felony under Wisconsin state law, the lone exception being a Class A misdemeanor 940.19(1) Misdemeanor Battery. The highest charge in terms of severity that Scoville Sr. faces is 2nd Degree Sexual Assault, a Class C felony. Scoville’s most recent conviction as listed at Wisconsin Court Access is for 346.63(1)(am) Operate with Restricted Controlled Substance, a non-criminal offense resulting only in monetary forfeiture.

As to specific felony charges stemming from the present case, meanwhile, Scoville Sr. is currently charged with nine counts of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault, three counts of Human Trafficking, one count of Attempted Human Trafficking, seven counts of Administer Dangerous or Stupefying Drug, three counts of 3rd degree Sexual Assault, two counts of False Imprisonment, and six counts of Maintain Drug Trafficking Place.

A total of six victims are listed by their initials in the charges, with 2nd-degree sexual assault considered greater than 3rd-degree sexual assault as to severity and consequences within state law.

Scoville Sr. was listed as being eligible for Public Defender representation at his initial appearance April 8, while Ottinger faces 46 years of maximum imprisonment if convicted on both charges if the sentences are served in succession to one another, along with a potential for $110,000 in fines imposed and years of probation. Scoville Sr. and Ottinger both remain held at present in the Eau Claire County Jail.