By Joe Bachman
Editor

PLOVER — A 43-year-old Plover man has been charged with multiple counts of child exploitation and child pornography.

According to police reports, on June 6, the Portage County Health and Human Services department was contacted by a 14-year-old victim, who handed over a cellular phone with disturbing information regarding Plover resident Bryan Tessmer, and possible child exploitation.

Upon further investigation, two other victims, a 15-year-old and another 14-year-old, detailed sending lewd photographs to Tessmer via Snapchat on occasion in exchange for money, alcohol, cigarettes, and cell phones. In a few instances, Tessmer would send lewd photos of himself through Snapchat to the victims.

According to one of the victims, Tessmer once told her to “Don’t forget to show love back, too, otherwise, I won’t do as much for you”.

On June 13, police carried out a search warrant on Tessmer’s residence on the 1800 block of Adams Street in Plover. Tessmer allegedly denied sending any lewd photos, and claimed he deleted any pictures received from the victims.

Police would seize a laptop from Tessmer, which contained six different videos of child pornography.

On June 21, one victim recalled Tessmer offering $80 to her for a topless photo.

If convicted, Tessmer could face up to 270 years in prison for three counts of child exploitation, and six counts of possession of child pornography. His initial court appearance is slated for July 2.