October 22, 2014 at 5:20 p.m.
Sex offender amassed images of Northwoods girls, police say
Sex offender amassed images of Northwoods girls, police say
The sex offender, Albert Chagnon, from Rhinelander, obtained the images through a print subscription to The Lakeland Times, according to Lt. Terri Hook of the Oneida County sheriff's office.
According to court records, Chagnon was found guilty of possession of child pornography in 2003, and has since been in and out of prison.
He most recently was serving a two-year prison sentence at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution for violating the state's sex offender registry rules.
Chagnon is said to have created a small booklet containing depictions of more than 250 different girls from about 190 pictures, which he allegedly cut out of the newspaper. The girls pictured were approximately 0 to 12 years old, and many were participating in community activities in the photographs, according to Hook.
Some photos have names and ages next to them. Pornographic material is also written next to the pictures, Hook said.
The booklet was discovered while Chagnon was in prison in Oshkosh. Even so, he was released from the facility on probation on Oct. 7, according to Hook, and was later transferred back to Rhinelander under supervision of the state Department of Corrections.
On Oct. 8, Chagnon was placed in the Oneida County jail on a probation hold because of the booklet, Hook said.
A probation hold is a procedure in which authorities place someone in jail because he or she is being investigated for a violation of probation rules or a possible crime.
DOC has not responded to questions about Chagnon's whereabouts and activities during the period of time between when he was released from prison and when he was booked into the Oneida County jail. He was set to be under intensive supervision in Rhinelander, according to a news release earlier this month.
Authorities are reviewing the case for potential criminal charges. According to Hook, it is a felony under Wisconsin law for a registered sex offender to intentionally store photographs or other visual representations of a minor without the written consent of the minor's parent, legal custodian or guardian.
On Wednesday afternoon, Chagnon was transferred to the Winnebago County Jail, where the Oshkosh Police Department is overseeing the investigation. Because Chagnon is alleged to have collected the images from prison in Oshkosh, police there have jurisdiction. Hook is assisting Oshkosh police.
Chagnon is likely to remain behind bars at least until he makes a court appearance on the probation hold, according to Hook, who said the state is also monitoring him with a GPS device.
"I want people to feel safe, and we're doing everything we can to keep their children safe," Hook said.
Since the booklet was discovered, Hook said she has been working to identify the children whose photos Chagnon allegedly collected. So far she has had one meeting with some parents of girls from the Minocqua area who were involved in a community organization.
Hook said organizations in the Rhinelander area have also expressed concern that Chagnon might have collected photos of their activity participants.
"I still haven't identified everybody," Hook said. "I'm very far away from identifying everybody."
To help in that effort, any parents concerned Chagnon might have obtained a photo of their child should contact Hook. Her e-mail address is [email protected].
A community meeting has also been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 4:30 p.m. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held in the Minocqua Library, 415 Menominee St., in downtown Minocqua.
Chagnon canceled his subscription to The Lakeland Times late last week, according to a handwritten letter he sent the newspaper from the Oneida County jail.
Judy Lehman, Chagnon's probation agent in Rhinelander, declined comment for this story citing DOC rules requiring media inquiries be handled by the agency's public affairs office in Madison. That office did not respond to repeated requests for comment as of press time.
Jonathan Anderson may be reached at [email protected]
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