Update: $20K Bail for WELS Communication Director Charged with Child Pornography - Waukesha, WI Patch:
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Defense Attorney Paul Bucher talks with Joel Hochmuth in court. Credit Sarah Millard.
Bucher is reputed to be one of the very best criminal defense lawyers in the state. |
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| WELS Communications Director, Joel Hochmuth |
Joel W. Hochmuth, 52, of Waukesha, communication director for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), had his bail set Thursday afternoon at $20,000 on three counts of possessing child pornography.
Hochmuth faces up to 75 years in prison if convicted of the three felony charges.
Detectives from the Waukesha Police Department met with a special agent from the FBI, who told detectives that Hochmuth was using the Internet handle “Skiguy10101” had child pornography on his computer depicting “pre-pubescent and adolescent boys engaged in various sexual acts.”
Hochmuth told authorities that the number of images found on his computer in Waukesha “was nothing compared to what they would find in his office,” the complaint states. Hochmuth denied downloading pornographic images on his work computer but police located three thumb drives at the WELS office in Wauwatosa, 2929 N Mayfair Rd., that had nine images and videos of young boys engaged in sexual acts, the complaint states. Authorities believe boys shown in the graphic pictures ranged from 10 to 14 years old.
Hochmuth appeared in court wearing a green protective vest. His defense attorney, Paul Bucher, said that he is not suicidal but is “devastated by the allegations.”
“It is pretty standard protocol because of the depression and some of the behavior he was having in the jail, but not suicidal,” Bucher said. “He is just depressed and the anxiety of all of this has had an effect.”
Hochmuth’s family was in court but declined to give statements to reporters after the bail hearing.
Hochmuth has problems with adult pornography addiction, Bucher said. Bucher wants to get him out of the jail by the end of the weekend and into counseling. A reporter asked if Hochmuth was addicted to child pornography, to which Bucher replied “I don’t believe that is the case.”
Bucher will need time to review the case, charges and search warrant in the case against Hochmuth.
“I will have to take a look at the images,” Bucher said. “They are described pretty explicitly in the criminal complaint.”
The Rev. Mark Schroeder, president of WELS, said he learned about Hochmuth’s arrest Wednesday evening after being contacted by a reporter.
“We were completely shocked, devastated and surprised,” Schroeder said.
The church official knows limited details about Hochmuth’s arrest, he said, mostly gained from a police report and information in the media.
“We don’t really know anything beyond that,” Schroeder said. “We are sort of in the dark right now.”
His employment suspended “until the facts are fully known,” Schroeder said. WELS will cooperate fully with authorities, according to Schroeder.
“We take allegations such as these very seriously,” Schroeder said. “Our church body has absolutely no toleration for the behavior is being alleged here.”
Hochmuth’s LinkedIn page states he was a correspondent for CNN for about 15 years and also was employed as an adjunct professor of communications at Kennesaw State University.
'via Blog this'
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Ben HandelmanFOX6 Reporter7:09 a.m. CST, November 17, 2011
WITI-TV, WAUKESHA—
Bond was set Thursday at $20,000 for Joel Hochmuth, the Director of Communications for the Lutheran Group WELS - the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, after he was arrested for child porn. Hockmuth has been charged with three counts of possessing child pornography, after a sting operation by the FBI's Cyber Crimes Task Force found child porn images and videos on Hochmuth's personal and work computers, as well as thumb drives.
Mark Schroeder, president of Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod says they have suspended Hochmuth's emloyment. Schroeder says "my reaction was just total shock, surprise, devastation. This is not something I think any of us would have expected."
Hochmuth was arrested at his home in Waukesha Tuesday. According to the criminal complaint in the case, an undercover FBI agent used peer-to-peer software which allowed him to connect with Hochmuth's computer and browse for files, and says Hochmuth was sharing child porn. The agent says he also chatted with Hochmuth online, and Hockmuch allegedly told him he likes pictures of males 10 years of age or older.
The criminal complaint states that during his arrest, Hochmuth stated he has been struggling with an addiction to viewing pornographic photos and videos of young boys in sexually explicit poses, but denies ever creating his own pornography. The complaint also says Hochmuth's wife caught him looking at the images once, and says they went to counseling as a result.
Officials removed a desktop computer and a laptop computer from Hockmuth's home, and the criminal complaint states Hochmuth said what would be found on his home computer was nothing compared to what they would find in his office.
A search warrant was executed at Hochmuth's office, and FBI agents found a thumb drive, containing 310 child porn images, and 38 videos. Agents say there were several hundred images found on Hochmuth's home computer.
Hochmuth is accused of possessing and distributing child pornography online. He is to have no contact with minors, except his own child, and cannot use any device that can access the internet. He is due back in court December 16th.
http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-20111116-hochmuth-child-porn,0,188658.story
