Scott Soucek. (Photo courtesy: Door County Sheriff's Department)
STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Sturgeon Bay man pleaded not guilty Thursday to 10 felony counts of possession of child pornography.
Scott Soucek, 57, was charged in July after investigators said they connected hundreds of child porn images shared online to his IP address. He previously posted a $10,000 cash bond.
Each of the 10 charges carry a punishment of a fine up to $100,000 or up to 25 years in prison. Online court records show Soucek returns to court Jan. 12 for a status conference.
This case was brought 16 years after a separate investigation into Soucek, when police say he admitted to downloading child porn, but criminal charges were never referred.
According to authorities, Door County Internet Crimes Against Children investigators interviewed Soucek in July 2009 and he admitted to downloading child pornography. One day after that admission, he brought his computer to the Sturgeon Bay Police Department to be analyzed. There were no images of children engaged in sex acts found; however, evidence of child pornography was found in an index file on the computer.
The complaint states, “It remains unclear as to why the 2009 case was not referred to the Door County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, given that the Limewire Index file would typically provide evidence of user attribution, supporting the claim Scott Soucek was downloading child pornography. Further, Soucek himself admitted to downloading such material.”
Comments