Child porn possession, former Milwaukee police officer pleads guilty

Yahoo

16-04-2025

The Brief
A former MPD officer pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
Court records show he reached a plea deal, and the state dismissed some charges.
Investigators searched his home and seized his electronics in May 2022.
MILWAUKEE - A former Milwaukee police officer pleaded guilty on Monday to possession of child pornography, avoiding trial in a case prosecutors filed more than two years ago.
Court records show Mark Horstmeyer pleaded guilty to one felony count, and the state dismissed another four as part of a plea deal. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
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The backstory
According to a criminal complaint, the Milwaukee Police Department Internal Affairs Division received a citizen tip about Horstmeyer "possessing child pornography."
Law enforcement searched Horstmeyer's home in May 2022. The complaint said his electronic devices were "seized and forensically analyzed." On those devices, investigators found five inappropriate photos of children.
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Officials noted in the complaint that, based on their experience, the images seized were from a website based out of Ukraine that had since been shut down for the distribution and manufacturing of child pornography.
Horstmeyer had worked for MPD for at least eight years at the time. After charges were filed, the police department said Horstmeyer resigned.
The Source
Information in this report is from the Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.