Children's Court Judge Faces Child Porn Charges

A children’s court judge in Wisconsin has been charged with possessing child pornography, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Brett Blomme, 38, faces seven counts in connection to video and images depicting the abuse of young boys, which he allegedly uploaded to a messaging app. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, per the AP. On Wednesday, the day Blomme was charged, the state Supreme Court pulled him from the bench and suspended his pay, saying that he is “currently unable to properly discharge his official duties,” according to the Wisconsin State Journal. According to a criminal complaint, Blomme, under the username “DomMasterbb” last fall uploaded 27 videos and images showing child sexual abuse to the messaging app Kik. The uploads allegedly happened at the Cottage Grove home that Blomme shares with his husband.

An investigation began in February after authorities received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a Kik user, later identified as Blomme, uploaded child pornography between October and November of last year. Blomme was identified, in part, because his username was linked to his Gmail address, according to the complaint. After he was charged Wednesday, Blomme was released on a signature bond on condition that he not use social media or have unsupervised contact with children, except for his own two adopted children. “The allegations are alarming," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett tells WISN. "Before he was elected to the bench, the judge served as chair of the Board of Zoning Appeals, an appointed board in city government. The reports of the arrest came as a complete surprise.” (More child sexual abuse material stories.)