MONROE — A Monticello man free on bond while facing child sex assault charges picked up several new felonies last month, after he reportedly tried to contact a 13-year-old girl in Ohio.
The new charges against Dalton C. Lehr, 18, include two counts of felony possession of child pornography and one count of felony bail jumping.
The new 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 February 28, according to an amended criminal complaint against Lehr. The Ohio report apparently came from the teen’s father.
“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 the photos to Lehr, who allegedly initially contacted the teen through Snap Chat. At one point, according to the complaint, Lehr told police he thought the person he was talking to was 16 and that it would be legal to do so. He reportedly told her he was 18, that they chatted often, and that after moving some of the conversations from social media to his cell phone, eventually got her to send him nude photos and videos.
“(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 — include 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.
A preliminary hearing for Lehr on the new case was set for April 3, after the newspaper went to press. He was free on $2,500 cash bond in the case. In the previous case, he was free on a $25,000 cash bond, according to court records. He also had an April 3 court date on that case, records indicate.
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, and punishable by a maximum sentence of up to 60 years in prison. The other charges against Lehr also include substantial prison time.
If convicted, he also would have to register as a sex offender for life.