Tomah hotel clerk convicted of sexually assaulting two guests

A Monroe County jury has convicted a former Tomah hotel clerk of sexually assaulting two guests after entering their rooms without permission.
Venkatesh Nalabothula, 31, of Macomb, Illinois, was found guilty Sept. 3 of seven charges: three counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of third-degree sexual assault and two counts of burglary.
The charges involved two guests at the Clarion Pointe Hotel in Tomah—one in October 2023 and another in December 2023. Nalabothula was working as a clerk at the hotel when the assaults occurred, according to a Sept. 4 news release from the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
The verdicts followed a four-day jury trial. Jurors deliberated for slightly more than three hours before finding Nalabothula guilty.
Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger said Nalabothula used his position at the hotel to gain access to guest rooms without permission.
“We are extremely grateful to the victims in this case for having the strength to come forward and report what Nalabothula did to them,” Croninger said. “The victims demonstrated a tremendous amount of strength and resiliency throughout the pendency of this matter.”
Croninger also thanked the jurors for listening to the evidence and deliberating over the case.
Croninger prosecuted the case with assistance from the staff of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
Lt. Paul Sloan of the Tomah Police Department and investigator Brittnay Westpfahl, formerly of the Tomah department and now with the Neenah Police Department, led the investigation.
Sgt. Delaney Goodenough, formerly of the Tomah Police Department, and Tomah police officers Justice Blackhawk and Ethan Pedersen.
Croninger praised the officers’ work, saying the evidence against Nalabothula was overwhelming.
Nalabothula has been held in the Monroe County Jail since his arrest in January 2024. Circuit Judge Richard Radcliffe revoked his bond following the convictions.
Nalabothula faces a maximum possible sentence of 165 years in prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Radcliffe will conduct the hearing in Branch III of Monroe County Circuit Court.