A former Neenah police officer entered not guilty pleas July 10 to two charges of child pornography possession.
Owen Halls, 22, of Kaukauna, had been employed by the Neenah Police Department for one year before he was fired in March as a result of the child pornography accusations. Halls was a probationary police officer, and his new-officer probationary period would have continued until November, Neenah Police Chief Aaron Olson said.
At Halls’ arraignment, the court set a pre-trial conference date for 9:30 a.m. Nov. 7 and a two-day jury trial for Nov. 20-21.
Halls is out of jail on a $20,000 cash bond.
How did the investigation unfold?
The following information is from a criminal complaint filed in Outagamie County Circuit Court:
What penalty could Halls face if convicted?
Under Wisconsin law, each possession of child pornography count carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison. The maximum term of imprisonment for each count is 15 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.
Halls could also be fined up to $100,000 on each count.
In a March news release announcing Halls’ firing from the department, Olson said the police department is additionally following processes to have Halls decertified as a Wisconsin Law Enforcement Officer by the Law Enforcement Standards Board.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Former Neenah police officer pleads not guilty to child pornography possession
Reporting by Kelli Arseneau, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
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