Additional details released regarding former Neenah officer fired after child pornography charges
*WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC DETAILS REGARDING CHARGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY. DISCRETION IS HIGHLY ADVISED.*
NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – The former Neenah police officr who was fired on Wednesday after being arrested and charged with two counts of child pornography appeared in court on Thursday afternoon.
22-year-old Owen Halls, who was employed by the Neenah Police Department from March 25, 2024 until Wednesday, was deemed the suspect of a Kaukauna Police Department investigation of an Internet Crimes Against Children tip.
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According to the criminal complaint, Halls is charged with two counts of possession of child pornography.
The charges state that on or around September 19, 2024, Halls acquired 'motion pictures' of a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct and 'reasonably should have known the child was under the age of 18.' The complaint added that he had access with the intent to view them.
Both charges are Class D felonies, and if convicted, Halls could face up to $100,000 in fines and/or up to 25 years in prison for each count.
The criminal complaint revealed that on September 19, 2024, a School Resource Officer with the Kaukauna Police Department was alerted to an Internet Crimes Against Children CyberTip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
*WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAILS INCLUDED BELOW, READER DISCRETION HIGHLY ADVISED*
The tip alleged that child sexual abuse material was involved and that two files were uploaded online after midnight on June 10, 2024. The files reportedly included an approximately 13-year-old girl sitting on the floor completely nude and masturbating.
The School Resource Officer submitted warrants and subpoenas regarding the information, leading to an address in Kaukauna, with one of the people living there identified as Owen Halls.
Owen Halls was reportedly asked by officers if he had a 'Telegram' account, to which he said yes, and that he uses it for 'probably stuff that I shouldn't.'
Halls claimed it was to keep 'pictures of females who weren't his girlfriend.' He reportedly noticed the symbol for an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit on one of the officers and asked if they were speaking with him about ICAC specifically.
The officer said that Halls' internet activity was the subject, and Halls reportedly said the following:
'There is nothing like, inherently I know that is like, I guess, child.'
Halls reiterated multiple times that he was concerned about seeing kids on the website 'Mega', which has links to pornographic videos and pictures, some of which may include underage people.
During the investigation, Halls was asked about some of the online chatrooms he was in, and he reportedly answered 'yes, any' to questions like, 'what kind of content are you into? Are you looking for CP?'
The officer asked Halls if he was aware that CP meant child porn, to which Halls allegedly said 'I guess I should, yeah.' Investigators revealed that they had seen child sex abuse materials on his account of teenagers and girls under the age of 18 performing sexual acts.
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The criminal complaint said that Halls nodded in affirmation to their findings and said 'mmhm' in response.
Local 5 will provide updates as needed.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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