Bail set at $100,000 for Elk Mound man charged with possession of child pornography
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — A Dunn County judge has set bail at $100,000 cash for a 22-year-old Elk Mound man charged with possession of child pornography.
Adam R.W. Arnsdorf appeared in Dunn County Circuit Court before Judge Luke M. Wagner on September 28.
Arnsdorf was in custody at the Dunn County jail and did not have an attorney to represent him, according to on-line court records.
The defendant is charged with one Class D felony count of possessing child pornography and one Class H felony count of bail jumping.
Judge Wagner noted that Arnsdorf has an attorney representing him in a Price County case, according to on-line court records.
In Price County, on-line court records show that Arnsdorf is charged with four felony counts of second degree sexual assault of a child, child enticement with sexual contact, use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime and exposing genitals to a child.
Bail was set at $75,000 cash in Price County in June of 2022.
Arnsdorf is scheduled for a jury trial in Price County in January of 2024.
Arnsdorf told Judge Wagner that he is requesting a month to find an attorney and waived the time limits for a preliminary hearing.
Judge Wagner scheduled a preliminary hearing for November 7 in Dunn County Circuit Court.
Cash bail
Arnsdorf also asked Judge Wagner to consider modifying the $100,000 cash bail that was set September 18.
The cash bail includes the conditions that Arnsdorf has no contact with anyone under the age of 18, that he is not to go onto any school premises, that he is not to use the Internet and that he is not to possess any devices with Internet abilities.
Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf said she believes the cash bail is appropriate and spoke of the high cash bail in the Price County case and talked about the need to protect the public.
District Attorney Nodolf told the judge she has received more information on the pending charges and anticipates filing additional charges soon.
Judge Wagner denied the request for bail modification.
Arnsdorf posted the $75,000 cash bail in Price County on June 24, 2022.
Cyber Tipline
According to the criminal complaint, the Elk Mound Police Department received a Cyber Tipline Report from the Wisconsin Department of Justice on September 6 indicating the suspect allegedly possessed child pornography via Snapchat at the location of a house in the Village of Elk Mound on July 16, 2023.
The cybertip was originally reported to the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children by Snapchat on July 17, and the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children then sent the cybertip to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Elk Mound Police Chief Chad Weinberger, along with Dunn County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Investigator Jason Stalker, viewed a three-minute video file allegedly associated with Arnsdorf’s account depicting a nude female child between the ages of five and 10 years old and a fully-developed male penis trying to enter the child’s vaginal area for sexual intercourse, according to the complaint.
Snapchat identified the timestamp when the user shared or uploaded the video file as being July 16, 2023, and identified the suspect IP address as the LaCrosse — Eau Claire Metro Area with the Internet service provider as Spectrum/Charter Communications.
Sergeant Stalker provided Police Chief Weinberger with a letter from Charter Communications with a subscriber record concerning the case. The lease log identifies the IP address was assigned to “the target” at an address in the Village of Elk Mound from July 14, 2023, to August 29, 2023, the complaint states.
Adam Arnsdorf denied having a Snapchat account, but when he was asked about his phone, Adam Arnsdorf said he wanted a lawyer, according to the criminal complaint.
Possession of child pornography, upon conviction, carries a possible penalty of a fine of up to $100,000 and/or up to 25 years in prison.
Upon conviction, the court also is required to impose a surcharge of $500 for each image or copy of an image associated with the crime.
The court must also, upon conviction, impose a bifurcated setting including a term of initial confinement in prison for at least three years.
Felony bail jumping, upon conviction, carries a possible penalty of a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a sentence of up to six years in prison.
