Hudson Child Sex Assault Suspect in Custody in Racine

James Eckhoff is in custody in the Racine County Jail and is expected to be transported to St. Croix County to face five felony counts of sexual assault of a child.

He is wanted in Hudson for allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old girl on multiple occasions.

Eckhoff also has a warrant out for his arrest in Kenosha County issued June 15, 2012 for battery and disorderly conduct. His address on that record is listed as the 1100 block of Sheridan Road in Kenosha.

Court records indicate he lived on Mt. Pleasant Street in Racine as recently as 2010.

Racine Uncovered broke the news Friday that Eckhoff has been apprehended. Police were notified after a tipster thought he might be at the Riverside Inn on Northwestern Avenue.

Helping the police make an arrest

That person is Jackie Buscemi of Sturtevant, and she said she first read about Eckhoff being wanted after Racine Uncovered posted a link to our Patch story.

"As soon as I saw his face, I knew exactly what to do," she told us Friday afternoon.

According to Buscemi, her aunt, Margie, has had an on-again-off-again relationship with Eckhoff for years. When they broke up last year, Eckhoff started dating a woman who has a teenage daughter. The trio moved to Hudson at some point, and Buscemi suspects this woman's daughter is the victim in the Hudson case.

When Buscemi read the story about the charges against Eckhoff in Hudson, she set out looking for her aunt. 

"I found out she was at the Riverside so I called the police and told them where they might find him," she explained.

Buscemi hasn't talked to her aunt since Eckhoff's arrest so she doesn't know if Margie was also taken into custody or if she's in any trouble. What Buscemi does know is that she's glad Eckhoff is behind bars.

"I'm glad he's going away," she said. "I'm proud to have helped the community. If I had known about the warrant in Kenosha, I would called the police weeks ago."

Hudson PD credits Patch readers

Hudson Police Chief Marty Jensen said he got a call Friday morning that Eckhoff was off the street and that it was an anonymous tip that led to his arrest.

"We got called at about 11:35 this morning saying that they picked him up," Jensen said. "We got an anonymous tip about 9:30 last night that Eckhoff was staying at a local hotel in Racine. We notified Racine PD to keep an eye out for him. They picked him up at that hotel."

Jensen credited Patch.com readers for the tip that led to the arrest.

"I would have to say that's it, because he's been wanted not only by us, but before us by the Department of Corrections and another county. He's been on the move and moving around," he added. "I think the information we gave, the information about the sex assault and the word getting out down there led to the tip. And we appreciate it."