By Shereen Siewert
A 49-year-old Wausau man who spent more than 10 years in prison on child enticement and other related charges now facing new crimes will undergo a psychiatric evaluation after entering a so-called insanity plea Monday in Marathon County Circuit court.
Travis Errthum faces 13 felony counts of possession of child pornography, charges filed in 2019 after investigators allegedly discovered sexually explicit photos of children in his possession.
According to court filings, police discovered a portable hard drive, laptop, USB storage device and iPhone in Errthum’s bedroom and a second iPhone in his vehicle during a search in October 2018 authorized by Errthum’s probation agent. Forensic searches of the hardware resulting from two separate warrants uncovered sexually explicit photos and videos of prepubescent girls, according to the criminal complaint.
Errthum initially denied searching for the files but later admitted he used his iPhone on public wifi connections and allegedly told police he has an addiction to young girls age 10 to 15, the police report states.
Court records show Errthum was convicted in 2001 of child enticement. Later, in a 2008 case, he was convicted of four counts of possessing child pornography; his probation in the child enticement case was revoked and he was ordered to spend 10 years and 8 months in prison.
During a plea hearing Monday, defense attorney John Wallace informed the judge that Errthum wanted to change his plea from not guilty to NGI, which stands for “not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.” This is one of four plea options available to criminal defendants in the state. Circuit Judge Greg Huber accepted the plea and ordered the examination.
Errthum is now back at Redgranite Correctional as the most recent case winds through the court system. Future court dates have not yet been set.
