Jury trial for police officer turned convicted sex offender
A former Menominee school resource officer who is also a convicted sex offender will stand trial on two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree. Brian William Helfert, 60, has requested a jury trial in the case.
Helfert was a Menominee County deputy assigned as a DARE Officer at Blesch Intermediate School during the 2017-2018 school year when the alleged crimes took place.
The victim was a student at the school, where Helfert was referred to by students as “Officer Brian.”
According to court documents, Helfert drove the then 13-year-old in a fully marked Menominee County Sheriff Department patrol car from the school to a nearby McDonald’s restaurant and purchased the young boy a Happy Meal. The victim alleges that afterward, Helfert, brought him to Helfert’s home where Helfert sexually assaulted the youngster on a bed.
This is not the first time Helfert has faced such charges; a Menominee County jury convicted him in Dec. 2023 on one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a weapon. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for March 7.
The most recent case will be tried by Menominee County Prosecutor Jeffrey T. Rogg, with trial dates set for July 29 through Aug. 2 of this year.
Helfert faces two life sentences if convicted of the latest charges.