WELLS, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Delta County man is facing child sex crime charges after police discovered he was viewing files of child pornography online.
Alex James Wigand, 32, of Wells, is charged with four counts of aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material and four counts of using a computer to commit a crime. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for the CSAM charges and up to 20 years for the computer charges.
Wigand was arraigned in Delta County’s 94th District Court on August 17.
The Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force says Wigand was arrested following an investigation that began when police discovered he was viewing files of child sexually abusive material (child pornography) on the internet. A search of Wigand’s home resulted in digital evidence seized.
The MSP Computer Crimes Unit was assisted by the MSP Gladstone Post, the Delta County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
The MSP Computer Crimes Unit encourages parents to speak to their children about the safe use of the internet. There are many resources available to parents to assist in keeping children safe online. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides a comprehensive list of resources on their website at http://www.missingkids.org. The MSP ICAC Task Force also provides resources at http://www.michiganicac.com.
If you have information regarding possible child sexual exploitation, report it to the CyberTipLine at http://www.missingkids.org/cybertipline.