MONROE — Facing potentially decades in adult prison and lifetime supervision as a sex offender, a young Monticello man stood before Judge Jane Bucher in Green County Circuit Court on April 3 to find out his fate for more charges racked up while on bond.

The judge spoke directly to the bespectacled now 19-year-old defendant. He was Dahlton C. Lehr, in a gray sweatshirt, seated at the defense table, and he answered respectfully that he understood — public defender Jane Krueger Smith by his side.

“But for your age, young man, you’d be going to prison,” Bucher announced, further describing the original, most-serious child sex assault charge against the teen as “pretty much a parents’ worst nightmare situation.”

Lehr reportedly tried to contact a 13-year-old girl in Ohio. And that led to new charges against Lehr, including two counts of felony possession of child pornography and one count of felony bail jumping. 

“These offenses are very grave,” Bucher said, adding that it was fortunate that Lehr was prevented from fully acting on among the most serious charges, further harming the victim.

For his part, District Attorney Craig Nolen said it is “100 percent unacceptable” for Lehr to commit new offenses considering the seriousness of the charges he already faced. But he said that with the lengthy sex offender registration time, treatment, and strict probation requirements the plea was a “good carrot and stick” agreement that protected the public while providing justice for victims.

As part of a plea agreement reached in court, Lehr will do time — a year in county jail with Huber privileges. And while he previously faced lifetime supervision as a sex offender, Lehr does have to endure 15 years as a registered sex offender following four years of probation/parole. Lehr entered a no contest plea on count 3 — felony exposing genitals/intimate parts to a child. Bucher’s court accepted the plea and found him guilty.

The remaining charges against Lehr were to be dismissed but “read” into the court record, the judge ruled.

“Court withhold sentence and places DE (defendant) on probation for a term of 4 years with 1-year of conditional jail time with Huber privileges,” said the court record. “(Defendant) shall cooperate with, participate in, and successfully complete evaluations, treatment and counseling deemed appropriate by Agent. This to include Sex Offender treatment. DE (Defendant) also stipulates to 15-year sex offender registration following discharge of sentence…”

The newest arrest came when area officers received a tip from Hubbard Township Police Dept. in Hubbard, Ohio. Police there were dispatched for a sex offense report there on Feb. 28, 2024, according to an amended criminal complaint against Lehr. 

“Officers spoke with (the victim’s father) who advised his thirteen-year-old daughter… has been sending and receiving inappropriate messages and photos with an eighteen-year-old male subject from Wisconsin,” the complaint said.  

Police traced the phone number of the person sending photos to Lehr, who allegedly initially contacted the teen through Snap Chat. 

“(Lehr) advised that he forgot about the court case that he is going through now,” said the complaint.

The previous charges filed in 2022 — but not yet adjudicated — included child enticement/sexual contact, first degree child sex assault and felony exposing genitals/intimate parts to a child. According to court records, Lehr stood mute with his attorney during a Dec. 1, 2022 hearing on those charges and not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf. 

Police went to Lehr’s Monticello home on March 1 to question the suspect about the Ohio teen and he was apparently talking via video chat to another teen victim, reportedly a 17-year-old cousin of the younger victim, that he met online just before they arrested him. Police seized his phone and found images and videos of both victims. He told police that despite exchanging explicit photos and videos with the 13-year-old, he had no plans to meet up with her. 

“He advised that (the victim) wanted to run away at some point and come with him but he told her no,” said the complaint. 

Not guilty pleas were entered for Lehr in the 2022 case, but court records indicate his attorney and the district attorney were negotiating a plea agreement prior to the second arrest. 

First degree sexual assault of a child is a Class B felony in Wisconsin, the other charges against Lehr also include substantial prison time. 

Victim impact statements were submitted to the court at the April 3 plea/sentencing appearance, and Bucher noted that the young victim will live with the memory of the sex offenses for life. She then ordered Lehr taken into jail custody immediately, although he was given two days credit for time served.

Krueger Smith, his defense attorney, rigorously defended the teen in arguing for the plea agreement, saying he was very “immature” at the time and did not appreciate the seriousness of actions and the restrictions of his bond.

“That’s not to excuse it,” she said, emphasizing the cooperation Lehr is now showing with the court, and in his willingness for treatment; and that he “is no danger to the community.”