SHEBOYGAN FALLS, Wis. — A top Sheboygan County official remains behind bars after being charged in September with sexually assaulting a child.
John Albright resigned as the assistant fire chief in Sheboygan Falls just days after his arrest.
We first found out about this story because his alleged victim contacted TMJ4's Jenna Rae.
"It's not something I'm ashamed of anymore. I'm not embarrassed of it because his actions are his own actions. I was just a young boy," the victim said.
The victim who's accusing Albright of sexual assault wants to remain anonymous.
This story contains details of sexual assault and thoughts of suicide.
"Of course I wanted to be a firefighter when I was little, you know, so yeah I did look up to him, and that night, he took that all from me," the victim explained.
Watch: Victim allegedly sexually assaulted by former asst. fire chief speaks out
It's a night this Sheboygan Falls native said he'll never forget.
"It was one of John's famous parties that he has every year. Everybody goes to it. The cops go to it, the fire department goes to it, and all the neighbors were invited as well. I was babysitting his child at the time," the victim said.
"I got done babysitting, and John invited me over to the party, and then he wanted to take a walk, and then he started talking to me about my age and puberty. I started getting very uncomfortable, but we continued to walk. Then he asked to put his hands down my pants and he did," he detailed.
The victim said he and Albright went into an alley, blocks from Albright's home. It was there, he said, that the assault furthered. We're leaving out specific details because they're too lewd.
"I was terrified. My phone was dead. I [quickly] grabbed it out and pretended like my sister was calling me, and then we walked home and what he said was it was a misunderstanding and he thought I was gay because I plant flowers for my neighbors," the victim explained.
"But you were 13," Reporter Jenna Rae asked.
"I know, but at the time it was good enough for me," he responded.
It was good enough until reality set in.
"After the assault happened, I was smoking weed, I was drinking alcohol," the victim said.
"Things you didn't consider before," Rae asked.
"Yeah. I didn't want to live anymore, so my thoughts of coming forward with this, I thought that it was gonna erase the memories, the pain, and it didn't, so I wanted to end it all," he responded.
The victim told us that the cycle of drinking, doing drugs, and wanting to commit suicide, was endless.
After time in therapy and meeting with community support advocates, he went to the police.
"I don't think that it's getting the awareness that it should be getting. I'm not just doing this for myself, I'm doing this for other boys, other men just like me," he said.
"I forgive him for his sickness. I want this to be over. I don't want the anger because the anger just leads to more drinking and leads to suicidal thoughts," the victim added. "It's a painful life too. So, speak up, say something, don't be embarrassed."
Albright pleaded not guilty to his charges.
Help is available and accessible now. If you're a victim of sexual assault you can call the national hotline at 800-656-4673.
The suicide prevention number is 988.
If you're looking for local resources in Sheboygan County, click here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
