Child pornography, bestiality distribution; Racine man charged
Justin Erhardt
RACINE, Wis. - A 36-year-old Racine man is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material and distributing bestiality after a Racine County Sheriff's Office investigation that began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
What we know:
Investigators with the Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit said they received a tip that someone in Racine had uploaded child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, to a Snapchat account.
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After serving a search warrant on Snapchat, investigators said records identified one video depicting CSAM and two videos depicting bestiality that had been uploaded to the account.
Racine County Sheriff's Office
Investigators identified the account as belonging to Justin Erhardt, 36, of Racine. Authorities executed a search warrant at his home on Tuesday, June 30, where they said Erhardt admitted the Snapchat account belonged to him and made additional incriminating statements before being taken into custody without incident.
During the search, investigators seized numerous electronic devices for forensic examination to determine whether they contain additional evidence of criminal activity.
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Dig deeper:
Erhardt was booked into the Racine County Jail and is being held on $60,000 cash bail on the following charges:
- Possession of child pornography.
- Two counts of distribution of bestiality.
Investigators said additional charging recommendations could be submitted if more contraband is found during forensic analysis of the seized devices.
The Source: The Racine County Sheriff’s Office provided information in this report.