By Shereen Siewert
A Homeland Security investigation culminated Thursday with the arrest of a Wausau man accused of uploading child pornography files to his phone using a popular social media app.
Kyle L. Wickersham, formerly of Rhinelander, faces 10 charges of child pornography possession filed Friday in Marathon County Court.
Police say 32-year-old Wickersham used the app, KiK Messanger, to upload and exchange photos and videos of child pornography with another user. Kik has been identified by police around the country as being used by sex predators. The app is free and works on iPhones, Androids, Windows Mobile devices and Kindles.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Child Exploitation Investigations Unit locates new child sexual abuse material on the internet and refers cases to the country that the abuse is believed to be occurring in for further investigation.
Wickersham was taken into custody at his Rothschild workplace and surrendered his phone to authorities, police said.
During an initial appearance Friday, Circuit Judge Mike Moran ordered Wickersham held on a $25,000 cash bond. Wickersham is also not allowed to access the internet or have contact with anyone younger than 18.
The Vinelink system shows Wickersham remains jailed as of Saturday morning. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 22.
