Son in De Pere child abuse case sentenced to 18 months probation

BENITA MATHEW   | Green Bay Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY - A De Pere man will spend 18 months on probation for his role in the abuse of his parents' adopted children.

Steven D. Windey, 28, was often the designated enforcer during the physical abuse, according to court documents.

In interviews with investigators, the children described a February 2018 incident in which one of the children started arguing with their adoptive mother, former Wisconsin State Trooper Sharon Windey, who tried to push the 15-year-old but the child pushed her away instead.

She called for Steven Windey, who lived at the home, and told him the teen had pushed her down the stairs, according to court documents.

According to the children, Windey chased the child, pushed the child down on the couch, and put his hands around the child's throat.

One of the children said that although Windey took responsibility for what he did by pleading guilty to battery and disorderly conduct, he should be held to the same standard as his parents, Sharon and Donald Windey.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be strong enough to resist. I know everyone did what they had to do and your way was to become a puppet," the child said.

Windey was initially charged with intentionally causing bodily harm to a child but that was reduced to the battery charge.  A felony charge of attempted strangulation and suffocation was dismissed but read in during his sentencing. 

Brown County Circuit Court Judge John Zakowski accepted a joint recommendation for probation instead of prison.

Windey on Friday said he "blinded" himself to abuse going on in the house and felt "horrible from the moment" of that Feb. 11, 2018 incident.

Sharon Windey was found guilty of eight counts of abusing her four adopted children over more than 12 years, and was sentenced to four years in prison on Jan. 15. Donald Windey was also found guilty of eight counts of abusing the children. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 20.

According to criminal complaints and prosecution statements: 

• Sharon and Donald Windey required the children to do a prayer ritual while standing on one foot wearing nothing but underwear, and they were beaten with a belt if they lost their balance and put their foot down.
• Sharon Windey used food as a form of punishment — often serving oatmeal for all three meals because the children didn't like it. 
• The couple locked kitchen cupboards so the children didn't have easy access to food.
• Sharon and Donald Windey told the children they didn't like them anymore and that they could no longer call them Mom and Dad.
• The couple donated all of the children's belongings to Goodwill in February 2018, leaving each child with a bed and five days' worth of clothes.

Steven Windey is required to attend anger management classes and community service as part of the sentence.

Contact Benita Mathew at (920) 309-3428 or bmathew@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @benita_mathew.