MONROE - An Orangeville school teacher was charged Friday with possession of child pornography after sexually explicit images of minors were found on his computer.
Timothy Gordon Hoffman, 43, Monroe, faces two Class D felony counts of possession of child pornography after state investigators were informed of an upload of child pornography from his IP address.
According to police reports, investigators received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an upload to the online chat service ChatStep.
ChatStep reported that an image depicting child pornography - in this case, a nude prepubescent girl performing sexual acts upon multiple older males - had been uploaded from Hoffman's IP address. Investigators traced the address to Hoffman's residence in the 2500 block of 13th Street in Monroe.
Officers conducted a search warrant on Hoffman's apartment on Sept. 27, where they found seven flash drives and a handwritten note containing phrases that seemed to describe children. Hoffman's computer was not found at his residence.
Hoffman was apprehended during a traffic stop later that day in the 2600 block of Wisconsin 69 in Monroe. Officers found Hoffman's computer and three additional flash drives in his vehicle.
During Hoffman's arrest, he admitted to having uploaded the image to ChatStep and said that officers would find "a lot" of child porn on his computer.
According to the police reports, Hoffman moved to Monroe from Nebraska on Aug. 8 to work as a teacher at the Orangeville Junior/Senior High School. Representatives of the Orangeville school district declined to comment.
Hoffman signed a $10,000 signature bond Friday with conditions that he have no contact with any person under the age of 18, to never be within 100 yards of school property, to never possess any recording of a child or to possess an internet-capable computer. He is also prohibited from leaving the state except to visit family in Stephenson and Winnebago counties.
The maximum possible sentence for Hoffman's charges is 30 years in prison. He will next appear in court for a preliminary hearing Oct. 13.
Timothy Gordon Hoffman, 43, Monroe, faces two Class D felony counts of possession of child pornography after state investigators were informed of an upload of child pornography from his IP address.
According to police reports, investigators received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an upload to the online chat service ChatStep.
ChatStep reported that an image depicting child pornography - in this case, a nude prepubescent girl performing sexual acts upon multiple older males - had been uploaded from Hoffman's IP address. Investigators traced the address to Hoffman's residence in the 2500 block of 13th Street in Monroe.
Officers conducted a search warrant on Hoffman's apartment on Sept. 27, where they found seven flash drives and a handwritten note containing phrases that seemed to describe children. Hoffman's computer was not found at his residence.
Hoffman was apprehended during a traffic stop later that day in the 2600 block of Wisconsin 69 in Monroe. Officers found Hoffman's computer and three additional flash drives in his vehicle.
During Hoffman's arrest, he admitted to having uploaded the image to ChatStep and said that officers would find "a lot" of child porn on his computer.
According to the police reports, Hoffman moved to Monroe from Nebraska on Aug. 8 to work as a teacher at the Orangeville Junior/Senior High School. Representatives of the Orangeville school district declined to comment.
Hoffman signed a $10,000 signature bond Friday with conditions that he have no contact with any person under the age of 18, to never be within 100 yards of school property, to never possess any recording of a child or to possess an internet-capable computer. He is also prohibited from leaving the state except to visit family in Stephenson and Winnebago counties.
The maximum possible sentence for Hoffman's charges is 30 years in prison. He will next appear in court for a preliminary hearing Oct. 13.