Child pornography case involving Minocqua man nearing resolution

The case against a 22-year-old Minocqua man charged with two counts of possession of child pornography appears headed toward a resolution short of trial.

Jacob Riley Collins appeared in Oneida County Circuit Court on Oct. 8 at which time his attorney, Joel Hirschhorn, advised Judge Gregory Strasser that the defense is awaiting a report from a psychologist who conducted an evaluation of the defendant. 

“We believe that the psychological evaluation will assist the parties in working out a resolution so a trial will not be necessary,” Hirschhorn explained, adding that he expects to receive the report in late October.

Strasser, of Marathon County, scheduled an adjourned initial appearance for Dec. 10.

Collins was charged in May after a law enforcement search of his phone and laptop allegedly turned up approximately 47 photos and 423 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) led investigators to Collins, according to the complaint.

The defendant is free on bond but is prohibited from accessing the internet or having any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18. Hirschhorn did seek and receive court approval for Collins to acquire a GABB telephone which is a device that can be used to make phone calls but cannot access the internet. The two Class D felonies carry a mandatory minimum of three years in prison and a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.