MONROE - A Brodhead man charged with four felony counts of possessing child porn made his initial appearance Wednesday in Green County Circuit Court.
Ahreen M. Spellman, 32, was arrested earlier this week after a search warrant was conducted on his home in the 1700 block of East 4th Avenue. Each of the Class D felony counts against him carries a maximum punishment of 15 years imprisonment.
The search warrant on Spellman's home was the result of an investigation by Special Agent Joseph Mech of the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
Mech was looking into peer-to-peer file sharing when he discovered child porn videos downloaded to a laptop with an IP address linked to Spellman and his Brodhead address.
According to the criminal complaint, Spellman admitted to investigators that he first downloaded child pornography about a year ago "because he was curious." He said he "searched for child pornography on an estimated weekly basis over the last year, with probably 100 to 200 downloads."
Each felony count against Spellman represents a video file found on his laptop. The videos range from one minute and 39 seconds to 18 minutes in length. Each file name includes a child's age, such as "10yo sex" and "6yo Favela."
Three of the videos depict prepubescent girls in sex acts with adult men, according to the criminal complaint. The fourth depicts a "prepubescent female and early pubescent male" having sexual intercourse. The video file name identifies them as 8 and 10 years old, respectively.
Spellman made his court appearance Wednesday via video conference from the Green County Jail. State court records show no criminal history for Spellman.
He is represented by Stephen E. Mays, a Madison attorney who specializes in the criminal defense of drunk driving cases.
Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Kohl requested a $5,000 signature bond for Spellman, with the conditions that he have no Internet access, no contact with his home on East 4th Avenue or anyone under the age of 18 and only supervised contact with his 20-month-old daughter.
Spellman has lived with his wife at his current address in Brodhead for six to seven years, according to the criminal complaint. His brother and sister-in-law have lived with the couple about five years.
Mays argued that barring Spellman from the residence "would effectively render him homeless." Mays convinced the court that Spellman can remain living at home.
Spellman's wife, Amanda Spellman, told Judge Thomas Vale that she doesn't believe their toddler daughter would be in danger if left alone with him.
A preliminary hearing for Spellman is scheduled June 19.
Ahreen M. Spellman, 32, was arrested earlier this week after a search warrant was conducted on his home in the 1700 block of East 4th Avenue. Each of the Class D felony counts against him carries a maximum punishment of 15 years imprisonment.
The search warrant on Spellman's home was the result of an investigation by Special Agent Joseph Mech of the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
Mech was looking into peer-to-peer file sharing when he discovered child porn videos downloaded to a laptop with an IP address linked to Spellman and his Brodhead address.
According to the criminal complaint, Spellman admitted to investigators that he first downloaded child pornography about a year ago "because he was curious." He said he "searched for child pornography on an estimated weekly basis over the last year, with probably 100 to 200 downloads."
Each felony count against Spellman represents a video file found on his laptop. The videos range from one minute and 39 seconds to 18 minutes in length. Each file name includes a child's age, such as "10yo sex" and "6yo Favela."
Three of the videos depict prepubescent girls in sex acts with adult men, according to the criminal complaint. The fourth depicts a "prepubescent female and early pubescent male" having sexual intercourse. The video file name identifies them as 8 and 10 years old, respectively.
Spellman made his court appearance Wednesday via video conference from the Green County Jail. State court records show no criminal history for Spellman.
He is represented by Stephen E. Mays, a Madison attorney who specializes in the criminal defense of drunk driving cases.
Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Kohl requested a $5,000 signature bond for Spellman, with the conditions that he have no Internet access, no contact with his home on East 4th Avenue or anyone under the age of 18 and only supervised contact with his 20-month-old daughter.
Spellman has lived with his wife at his current address in Brodhead for six to seven years, according to the criminal complaint. His brother and sister-in-law have lived with the couple about five years.
Mays argued that barring Spellman from the residence "would effectively render him homeless." Mays convinced the court that Spellman can remain living at home.
Spellman's wife, Amanda Spellman, told Judge Thomas Vale that she doesn't believe their toddler daughter would be in danger if left alone with him.
A preliminary hearing for Spellman is scheduled June 19.