By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
A 30-year-old Marathon County man will spend three years in prison after a cybertip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children led to the discovery of explicit photos and videos on his electronic devices.
Court documents show Zachary Lemmer, of Athens, told police he accessed the material through online chat rooms and on Kik, a social media platform popular with young people.
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.
According to the criminal complaint, local police received the cybertip in June 2021 and traced the material found to Lemmer’s address, prompting them to obtain a search warrant for the property. Detectives seized an iPhone and MacBook computer for a forensic examination, which revealed multiple photos and video of young girls who have not yet reached puberty engaging in sexual activity, according to the criminal complaint.
During a sentencing hearing Tuesday in Marathon County Circuit Court, Lemmer pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to prison followed by three years of extended supervision. He will register as a sex offender for 15 years and is prohibited from having access to the internet unless approved by the Dept. of Corrections.
Lemmer was also ordered to pay a $500 surcharge for each image associated with the case.
