Glenwood City man pleads not guilty to child pornography charges

By LeAnn R. Ralph

HUDSON — A 64-year-old Glenwood City man charged with possessing child pornography and using a computer to commit a child sex crime has pleaded not guilty in St. Croix County.

Joseph R. Brabeck, along with his attorney, Michael Cohen, appeared in St. Croix County Circuit Court August 10 to enter a plea of not guilty.

Brabeck is charged with three felony counts of possessing child pornography and one felony count of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.

In addition to the charges in St. Croix County, Brabeck is charged in Chippewa County with one felony count of the second-degree sexual assault of a child and and one felony count of child enticement.

Bail was set for Brabeck in Chippewa County last October with a $10,000 signature bond.

Bail in St. Croix County was initially set at $25,000 cash March 8, but the bail was amended to $5,000 cash on March 9.

According to news reports, Brabeck was arrested last fall in a park in Chippewa Falls following an online sex sting.

Brabeck allegedly arranged for a nude photo shoot and sex acts with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.

After Brabeck was arrested, authorities confiscated his home computer, and news reports indicate that child pornography was discovered on the hard drive.

A status conference is set in St. Croix County Circuit Court October 6 at 8:30 a.m.

A status conference also has been set in Chippewa County Circuit Court for September 21 at 9 a.m.

Online court records indicate that St. Croix County and Chippewa County are working on consolidating the two cases.