WISCONSIN
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 24, 2013
Waukesha – A former Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod official has been sentenced to prison after he violated conditions of his probation on a conviction of possessing child pornography.
Joel Hochmuth, 53, had been sentenced last year to a year in jail with work release privileges and 10 years of probation.
At the time, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Kathryn W. Foster warned Hochmuth that any hint of “going back to any kind of behavior like this” would result in a prison term of up to the maximum 25 years.
Foster sentenced Hochmuth on Wednesday to four years in prison, followed by five years of extended supervision. He was given credit for 242 days he’s spent in jail.
His attorney, Paul Bucher, said Hochmuth’s violations did not involve any assaultive behavior, or more exposure to pornography. He said Hochmuth, after failing a polygraph exam, admitted that he had watched a boy’s cross-country team as it ran, and once disrobed and masturbated in the woods while he was performing his work-release job as a landscaper.
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