Man gets five years for child porn charges

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By Brandi Makuski

A former Stevens Point man was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday related to multiple counts of child pornography.

Stephen Montgomery, 33, was charged in late 2016 after enticing several minor girls to send him nude photos of themselves since 2014. One of the girls involved was the daughter of a Marathon County deputy, who found the incriminating photos when searching the girl’s cell phone and reported it to local police.

Stevens Point police later searched Montgomery’s home on the 1400 block of Division St., where they found “numerous” flash drives, cameras, computers and cell phones, according to the criminal complaint.

The devices contained thousands of pornographic images involving children, the complaint said, with over 70 pictures identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as being known victims of child pornography.

Montgomery was released on a $2,000 cash bond, and later struck a plea deal with the Portage Co. District Attorney’s Office. Seven of the counts against him—five counts sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of possession of child pornography—were dismissed.

As part of his sentence, Montgomery will serve 10 years on extended supervision, pay a fine of $1,500, participate in counseling and is prohibited from contact with minors. He is also prohibited from using the internet without prior approval by his probation agent.