May 17, 2021 at 1:09 p.m.
Two Rivers man bound over for trial on ICAC charges
Two Rivers man bound over for trial on ICAC charges
By River News Staff-
David Lee Bronk was arrested on Feb. 18 and made his initial court appearance the next day before circuit judge Patrick O'Melia. He is charged with a pair of Class I felonies: solicit intimate representation from minor and exposing a child to harmful material.
The Oneida County detective sergeant who conducted the undercover investigation offered testimony at the preliminary hearing that mirrored the information in the criminal complaint. The detective stated he established an undercover account on an online dating website using a photo of a young female and listing "her" age as 19.
On Jan. 5, 2020, the report says the detective began messaging with someone using the username "Dave", later identified as Bronk. During the conversation on the dating application, the "girl" said she was in Minocqua, and soon the conversation switched to text messaging.
The conversation eventually turned to sex and birth control, the report alleges.
At one point, Bronk expressed some reservation about what he was doing, according to the complaint.
"I don't want to say to (sic) much how do I know for sure you ain't working with the cops I know they do stuff like that to try to catch old guys like me that want to be with a younger female," Bronk allegedly texted the "girl."
"That's stupid. I'm no cop. Can't believe us say that," the detective replied.
Over the course of several days, Bronk allegedly sent several photographs and tried on numerous occasions to get the person with whom he was communicating to reciprocate. Bronk eventually told the "girl" he would not be coming to Minocqua and the communication between the two stopped, the complaint alleges.
After hearing from the officer, O'Melia ruled the state had established probable cause that a felony had been committed and set arraignment for May 17.
According to online court records, Bronk is a registered sex offender. Records show he was charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child in Portage County on Feb. 9, 1999. He eventually pled guilty to an amended charge of second degree sexual assault of a child and was sentenced to six years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
He is free on a $5,000 signature bond in the Oneida County case.
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