Joshua Denault appears in Brown County court, October 7, 2024. (Brown County court/Zoom)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A former tennis coach accused of taking “upskirting” photos of children pleaded not guilty Monday.
Joshua Denault, 40, faces 16 charges, including child enticement and capturing an intimate representation. No trial date was set. He returns to court Nov. 18 for a status conference.
Denault was a tennis coach at Western Racquet & Fitness Club in Ashwaubenon and Four Seasons Tennis Club in Allouez, which are owned by the same company.
According to the original criminal complaint, a 10-year-old girl came forward in early May. She said that during lessons, Denault asked her to get into a wide stance, then placed his cellphone directly underneath her and recorded a video.
Sheriff’s officials searched Denault’s phone and found videos of the victim and other girls.
“Joshua did state that he would record a child on the court for training purposes,” the complaint says. However, prosecutors say the videos mainly showed intimate body areas. The girls were all clothed.
“Denault appeared to be ‘instructing’ the juvenile females, however based on the camera angle and video, you can barely see the girls’ arms, tennis racquet and form,” the complaint says.
According to the second criminal complaint, police found 36 “recently deleted” videos on Denault’s phone, leading them to more victims and charges.
One of the victims described her reaction to the evidence, saying “Seeing this video, it makes me feel gross, pissed off and it is very disturbing. Coach Denault always gave me the creeps, so I tried to stay away from him,” the complaint states.
As investigators continue to collect and review evidence, they ask anyone with information related to this case to contact Sgt. Matthew Wilson at (920) 448-6192 or matthew.wilson@browncountywi.gov.
In a message to members, Western Racquet & Fitness Club, wrote: “We are writing about a recent event involving a former employee on our tennis staff. On May 14th, an incident was brought to our attention by an Investigator with the Brown County Sheriff’s Department. The incident occurred during the week of May 6th, involving a participant of the junior tennis program. Upon learning of the incident, the employee was immediately terminated. Western is fully cooperating with law enforcement. It is our understanding that criminal charges have been issued. We are committed to providing you updates as we are able.”
Authorities say parents should foster open and honest communications with their children and commit to being an advocate for their safety. They can do this by speaking with their children about their activities and the people they have contact with.
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