Lt. Chris Braman said in a statement that the sheriff’s office, along with with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, served a search warrant Wednesday at a residence in the Village of Fox Crossing belonging to Bebris.
“The search warrant was in response to alleged electronic transfer of suspected child pornography identified in a cybertip through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,” Braman said in the statement.
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office is an affiliate of the nationwide Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and regularly conducts follow-up on cybertips, which led to an investigation into Bebris.
As a result of evidence seized during the search warrant, Bebris, 49, was taken into custody for multiple counts of possession of child pornography and transported to the Winnebago County Jail. The investigation is still ongoing according to Braman.
Bebris recently ran as a candidate for Outagamie County sheriff, but did not win the election, according to the Post Crescent newspaper.
Sgt. Nathan Borman from the sheriff’s office said that Bebris, “has never been a part of this department and is not part of this department.”
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Bebris left his position as public safety director in Oakwood last year to pursue a new career, according to city officials. Current chief Alan Hill succeeded him.
Bebris held the position for the past 11 years, overseeing police and fire departments.
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