WASHBURN COUNTY -- Criminal charges of possession of child pornography have been filed in Washburn County Circuit Court against Jeffrey Vesta, of Spooner, WI.
DrydenWire.com published a Wisconsin Department of Justice press release on June 5, 2019 stating that Vesta had been arrested for suspected possession of child pornography.
According to the criminal complaint now filed against Vesta, the Wisconsin Department of Justice - Division of Cirminal Investigation (DCI) received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the upload of an image of child pornography.
The subsequent investigation into the IP address linked with the upload led investigators to Vesta’s Spooner, WI residence.
The criminal complaint against Vesta goes on to state that Vesta told investigators that he had been regularly viewing child pornography for years and that while he knew it was morally wrong, he wasn’t sure if it was illegal since he wasn’t saving the images or sending them to anyone else.
Vesta also told investigators that he was currently the head pastor of a small church in Minong, WI and that he had previously been a teacher at private schools. Vesta denied ever having any inappropriate relations with any students or church members.
The criminal complaint also states that investigators seized electronic devices from Vesta’s residence and that those will be processed in a lab environment.
Vesta is charged with Class D Felony Possession of Child Pornograpy. The maximum penalty for this charge is imprisonment for 25 years, a fine of $100,000, or both.
Online circuit court records show that at a bail hearing on June 5, 2019, the Court set a signature bail bond of $1,000 for Vesta. Vesta had his initial appearance on June 17 and is due to appear again in July.
- Read Original Article: Washburn County Pastor Arrested For Suspected Possession Of Child Porn
Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Last Update: Jun 21, 2019 4:35 pm CDT
