MONROE — A Blanchardville man remains jailed on four felony counts of possession of child pornography after a tip from a national child-exploitation task force led to a police search of his home.
Austin S. Bunker, 28, is also charged with felony maintaining a drug trafficking place, felony possession with intent to deliver THC including with intent to deliver on or near a school; and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators at a national child cybercrime clearing house flagged suspicious activity and traced it back to Bunker’s Blanchardville account and IP address. The social media giant Snapchat also was subpoenaed, and a search warrant was executed on the defendant’s School Street home on October 1.
Numerous phones, computers and other devices were seized from the house, and evidence also gathered from the images forwarded by the Santa Monica, California-based company to local investigators. Several allegedly illegal images and video clips showed minor boys in sexual situations, the complaint details.
One of the clips included a female estimated to be 14, but other images showed allegedly younger subjects.
“The juvenile male appeared to be between 8 and 10 years old,” an investigator said in the complaint, describing one of the short videos in evidence.
At one point after he allegedly began searching for child pornography on Snapchat, Bunker allegedly told investigators he thought access to his account — with the user-name womboozi — had been terminated or suspended due to his activity between April 2026 and June 2026.
“Austin stated Snapchat blocking his access to his Snapchat account caused him to want to change,” said the complaint.
But the defendant also was alleged to have been trying to locate other subjects directly on the internet for sexual gratification, and discussing the illegal material in various Snapchat conversations.
“Austin stated he requested nude photos from individuals after the individuals identified themselves as 14 years old and younger,” said one investigator, in the complaint, which goes on to describe an alleged request of a video of a 10-year-old boy involved in a sexual act.
The original tip leading police to Bunker came from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The center’s tips have led to numerous, recent arrests across the country, including several in Green and Lafayette counties. Many easily accessible apps and websites tout themselves as anonymous or encrypted but are not, and such sites often are actively monitored by law enforcement and anti-exploitation groups, such as the NCMEC.
The alleged marijuana found throughout the house incidental to the child-porn-related search included high-potency THC Wax, marijuana flower, and other items, according to the complaint. Police also initially seized a 9 mm handgun but no weapons charges were entered against Bunker.
Bunker remains in Lafayette County Jail on $50,000 bond. His next court appearance, an adjourned initial hearing, is scheduled for 1 p.m., October 26, before Circuit Judge Jenna Gill.
If found guilty at trial, the maximum possible penalty for a single-count of possession of child pornography is 25 years, and a $100,000 fine.
The defendant worked from home full-time for a software gaming company, the complaint said. According to court records, Bunker has no other criminal history in Wisconsin.