By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
An Athens man arrested after a cybertip sent from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children led to the discovery of explicit photos and videos has reached a plea agreement, three weeks before his trial was set to begin.
Zachary Lemmer, 29, faces a single count of possessing child pornography, a felony charge punishable by up to 25 years in state prison, a maximum fine of $100,000, or both. Charges were filed in September 2021 in Marathon County Circuit Court.
Lemmer allegedly told police he accessed the material through online chat rooms and on Kik, a social media platform popular with young people.
According to the criminal complaint, local police received the cybertip on June 23, 2021 and traced the material found to Lemmer’s address, prompting them to obtain a search warrant for the property. During the Aug. 11, 2021 search, detectives seized an iPhone and MacBook computer for a forensic examination, which revealed multiple photos and video of prepubescent girls engaging in sexual activity, according to the criminal complaint.
Police and prosecutors have repeatedly cautioned parents about the potential dangers of Kik, which allows chatting with random strangers and has become a window for sexual predators to reach out to children and exploit them with few – if any – security measures in place.
Lemmer was summoned into court in October 2021 for an initial appearance and was released on a $10,000 signature bond, with conditions that he have no contact with anyone younger than 18 unless supervised. He is also prohibited from using the internet.
A jury trial was set to begin Oct. 18 but was taken off the calendar earlier this month after attorneys on both sides told a judge they reached an agreement in the case. Lemmer, who is not in custody, will appear Dec. 20 for a plea hearing. Circuit Judge Mike Moran is presiding over the case.
