MANITOWOC – Police are informing the public of the arrest of a 47-year-old Manitowoc man after they say an investigation revealed he was in possession of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.
According to online court records, Steven J. Wester has been charged with four counts of possession of child pornography, a Class D felony punishable by up to 25 years in state prison, a maximum fine of $100,000, or both.
Police said in a news release they executed a search warrant on Wester’s home Dec. 11 based on a tip from the Wisconsin Department of Justice that an individual at that location was in possession of child sexual abuse materials.
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The tip received by police was that the suspect had uploaded an image to an internet search engine attempting to search for similar types of images, police said.
The file was reviewed by investigators and confirmed to be an image containing child sexual abuse material, police added.
Numerous electronic devices were seized during the Dec. 11 search, and subsequent forensic analysis located many similar themed images and videos of child sexual abuse material in the approximate 12- to 14-year-old age range, police said.
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Wester was taken into custody on suspicion of possession of child pornography. His bail was set at $5,000 cash bond Dec. 23 with conditions that he have no contact with anyone younger than 18 and not possess any internet-enabled devices unless supervised for work purposes only. He was not listed as an inmate at Manitowoc County Jail Dec. 27.
An initial court appearance in the case is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 30 in Manitowoc County Circuit Court before Judge Mark Rohrer.
Police said in the news release that no further information would be immediately released because the investigation is ongoing. They said the intent of their news release was to identify any other potential victims. Through investigation, police said they learned Wester was involved with youth sports in the area and was previously investigated for similar suspected behavior.
Anyone with information can contact Det. Jason Denk at 920-686-6557, the shift commander at 920-686-6551, Crime Stoppers at 920-683-4466 or by using the P3 app. They said people can choose to remain anonymous. People should reference case No. 2024-00015320.
Contact Brandon Reid at breid@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc man Steven Wester charged with possessing child pornography
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