STEVENS POINT − The Portage County District Attorney’s Office filed charges Jan. 12 against an Almond man arrested after the search for a missing child Sept. 11.
Jordan A. Coyle, 34, faces charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child and interfering with child custody. Portage County Circuit Judge Patricia Baker set a $1 million cash bond for Coyle during a bond hearing Jan. 12. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 16.
Coyle was previously convicted of child sexual assault in a 2008 Waushara County case, so he qualifies as a persistent repeater and faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted, according to a news release from the Portage County District Attorney’s Office.
Prior to the 6-year-old child going missing, the child was living at Coyle’s residence in Almond with the child’s family, according to the news release. Due to his prior conviction, Coyle was on extended supervision and prohibited from residing with children. In September 2025, the Department of Corrections learned that Coyle was in violation of his extended supervision rules and issued an arrest warrant. Coyle began avoiding the arrest and hid from law enforcement, according to the news release.
On Sept. 11, the child walked away from Coyle’s home and the child’s location was not known for the next two days. Police issued an Amber Alert because they believed the child was potentially with Coyle in some unknown location. Officials ultimately found Coyle and the child hiding in nearby woods in the late afternoon on Sept. 13. Coyle was taken into custody without incident.
Since September, Coyle has remained in custody on a Department of Corrections warrant while the incident remained under investigation. On Jan. 9, the Wisconsin State Crime Lab issued a report containing the results of DNA evidence, which indicated Coyle had recent sexual contact with the child.
“The missing persons complaint and Amber Alert has caused tremendous alarm in our community, and the further investigation has confirmed our worst fears as to what was done to this young child,” Portage County District Attorney Cass Cousins said in the news release. “The atrocious crime will be prosecuted by the Portage County DA’s Office to the fullest extent.”
Contact Karen Madden kmadden@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Man arrested after September Amber Alert charged in Portage County
Reporting by Karen Madden, Stevens Point Journal / Stevens Point Journal
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