Former Franklin College president sentenced in child sex crimes case

STURGEON BAY, Wis. — The former president of Franklin College was sentenced Monday after being convicted of child sex crime charges.

Thomas Minar, 58, was ordered to serve six years in prison with six years of extended supervision, according to the Door County, Wis. Clerk of Circuit Court's office.

In addition, he will have to register through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections sex offender registry and comply with any evaluations and assessments the agency deems necessary.

He'll also not be allowed to have contact with minors nor use the Internet unless approved by an agent.

Minar's sentence comes after he pleaded no contest in March to the charges, including one count of child enticement and three counts of possession of child pornography, all class D felonies.

Franklin College fired him in January 2020 after the allegations came to light.

Minar was arrested while trying to meet a teenager after a sexually explicit chat through Grindr, an online dating platform, according to court documents He thought he was chatting with a 15-year-old boy who turned out to be an undercover police officer.

He reportedly told officers he was attracted to young males but the sexually-explicit conversation 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.

WRTV has reached out to Minar's attorney for comment.