Wisconsin Department of Justice Agents Partner with Marinette Police Department in ICAC Operation

Michael F. Kruse of Marinette, Charged with Possession of Child Pornography

MADISON — On Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011, special agents from the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) along with officers from the Marinette Police Department executed a search warrant at the home of Michael F. Kruse in the City of Marinette.

Kruse was later arrested at a Marinette restaurant and incarcerated in the Marinette County Jail after images of child pornography were located during the search of his home.

Kruse has now been charged with one count of possession of child pornography, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint filed on August 24th, 2011, during the search of Kruse's home, at 207 Terrace Avenue in Marinette, special agents with DCI and Marinette Police seized a locked safe from the suspect's bedroom. A forensic examination of compact discs and memory drives retrieved from the safe revealed numerous files of child pornography. In an interview, Kruse admitted to investigators to having downloaded child pornography.

The arrest was the culmination of several months of investigation surrounding Kruse's use of file sharing software on the Internet.

Questions should be directed to the Marinette Police Department and the Marinette County District Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting the case.

A bail hearing for Kruse was scheduled for this morning at the Marinette County Courthouse.

A defendant enjoys the presumption of innocence. The prosecution must prove its allegations at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.