STURGEON BAY, Wis. — The former president of Franklin College pleaded no contest to child sex crime charges in a Wisconsin Court Thursday.
Thomas Minar, 58, was fired by the college in January 2020 after he was arrested on suspicion of the crimes.
Wisconsin court records show Minar pleaded no contest to one count of child enticement and three counts of possession of child pornography, all class D felonies.
Prosecutors in Door County, Wis. said Minar was arrested while trying to meet a teenager after a sexually explicit chat through an online dating site.
According to court documents, Minar was allegedly using a cell phone app called "Grindr," which is a platform "commonly used by gay males to meet other males to meet up for sexual encounters," when he began contacting a person he thought was a 15-year-old boy. The person was actually an undercover police officer.
After being arrested at a local McDonald's after making plans to meet, Minar reportedly told officers he was attracted to young males but that the sexually-explicit chat was only "fantasy chat."
Minar had been president of Franklin College for five years and had previously announced plans to leave the school at the end of the academic year ending in 2020.
Court records show Minar is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6.
-
3 fatalities reported from crash in Grant County
Three people died, and another sustained serious injury following a crash in Grant County on Monday, the Indiana State Police said.
Amazon Ring ends Flock Safety deal as privacy concerns mount nationwide
Amazon's Ring says it has canceled its planned partnership with surveillance company Flock Safety, raising new questions about privacy and public safety as police increasingly turn to technology.
Lawmakers approve amended bill that would shorten early voting in Hoosier S
The Indiana Senate Elections Committee approved an amendment to House Bill 1359 that would shorten the state's early voting period from 28 days before the election to 16 days on Monday.
Driver critically injured after road rage incident led to pursuit, fiery crash
A police pursuit ended in a fiery crash on Indianapolis' west side Monday, leaving the driver in critical condition after their vehicle rolled over and caught fire.
