MONROE - A Monroe man was sentenced to four years of probation after a two-year child pornography case.
Daniel Bliss, 36, was sentenced to four years of probation and 25 days in jail on a Class I felony count of possessing a recording of a nude person without the subject's consent and misdemeanor counts of sending obscene computer messages and contributing to the delinquency of a child. The former two charges were reduced in May from counts of possessing child pornography.
Bliss was charged in early 2015, when a Department of Justice investigation learned he had solicited and received nude photos of a 16-year-old girl from a 17-year-old Rock County boy via a Facebook conversation. An investigation of Bliss' computer revealed three videos depicting children engaged in sex acts on its hard drive.
Crystal Grey, a probation agent for the Department of Corrections, conducted a pre-sentencing investigation and determined that a prison sentence would not be suitable for Bliss, whose mental competency was considered questionable earlier in the case. Instead, she recommended probation and electronic monitoring of Bliss through a mandatory GPS bracelet.
Bliss' monitoring will prohibit him from leaving his Monroe residence after a curfew, and will alert authorities to his whereabouts should he violate his conditions, Grey said.
Green County District Attorney Craig Nolen recommended an additional 90 days of jail time to serve as a punitive and deterring measure for Bliss. Nolen said that although Bliss had a comparatively small collection of child porn - compared with other cases where defendants have collections of tens of thousands of images - a punitive component to his sentence was necessary due to the severity of his offense.
Bliss' attorney, Philip J. Brehm, disagreed, saying he did not believe Bliss to be capable of self-sufficiency in a jail environment. Brehm said he did not see the purpose of a jail term when an option functionally identical to jail existed without subjecting Bliss' limited mental faculties to the rigors of a jail population.
Green County Circuit Judge James Beer split the difference, requiring a 25-day jail term to keep Bliss in custody while the Department of Corrections sets up his electronic monitoring program. Beer also waived all fines for Bliss, citing his limited financial means.
Bliss will also have to register as a sex offender for five years.
Daniel Bliss, 36, was sentenced to four years of probation and 25 days in jail on a Class I felony count of possessing a recording of a nude person without the subject's consent and misdemeanor counts of sending obscene computer messages and contributing to the delinquency of a child. The former two charges were reduced in May from counts of possessing child pornography.
Bliss was charged in early 2015, when a Department of Justice investigation learned he had solicited and received nude photos of a 16-year-old girl from a 17-year-old Rock County boy via a Facebook conversation. An investigation of Bliss' computer revealed three videos depicting children engaged in sex acts on its hard drive.
Crystal Grey, a probation agent for the Department of Corrections, conducted a pre-sentencing investigation and determined that a prison sentence would not be suitable for Bliss, whose mental competency was considered questionable earlier in the case. Instead, she recommended probation and electronic monitoring of Bliss through a mandatory GPS bracelet.
Bliss' monitoring will prohibit him from leaving his Monroe residence after a curfew, and will alert authorities to his whereabouts should he violate his conditions, Grey said.
Green County District Attorney Craig Nolen recommended an additional 90 days of jail time to serve as a punitive and deterring measure for Bliss. Nolen said that although Bliss had a comparatively small collection of child porn - compared with other cases where defendants have collections of tens of thousands of images - a punitive component to his sentence was necessary due to the severity of his offense.
Bliss' attorney, Philip J. Brehm, disagreed, saying he did not believe Bliss to be capable of self-sufficiency in a jail environment. Brehm said he did not see the purpose of a jail term when an option functionally identical to jail existed without subjecting Bliss' limited mental faculties to the rigors of a jail population.
Green County Circuit Judge James Beer split the difference, requiring a 25-day jail term to keep Bliss in custody while the Department of Corrections sets up his electronic monitoring program. Beer also waived all fines for Bliss, citing his limited financial means.
Bliss will also have to register as a sex offender for five years.