Wisconsin Judge Charged With Child Pornography Possession

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled a Wisconsin judge from the bench after he was charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography.

State Department of Justice attorneys filed seven felony counts against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Brett Blomme. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The charges were filed in Dane County.

Court Commissioner Brian Asmus released Blomme on a signature bond and set a preliminary hearing for April 29. Blomme's attorney, listed in online court records as Chris Van Wagner, didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The state Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday afternoon barring Blomme from serving as a judge and ordered his salary withheld.

According to the criminal complaint, the DOJ began investigating Blomme in February after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that the judge had uploaded child pornography through the Kik messaging application 27 times in October and November.

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