Hartford Fire & Rescue lieutenant charged, dozens of child porn counts
Aaron Moratz
HARTFORD, Wis. - A Hartford Fire & Rescue Department lieutenant was charged Wednesday with dozens of counts of child pornography possession, according to court records.
A criminal complaint identified the lieutenant as 37-year-old Aaron Moratz. Court records show he is charged with 30 counts of child porn possession and one count of child enticement.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
The backstory:
In a joint statement, the Hartford police and fire chiefs said the investigation started over the weekend in response to an "inappropriate conversation" between a paid on-call volunteer member of the department – now identified as Moratz – and a juvenile in another state.
According to court filings, a parent found an inappropriate message sent to a professional Instagram page for his 14-year-old son's athletic endeavors. The parent confronted the sender and was later blocked on the platform.
Featured
Washington County deputy investigated for theft: sheriff
Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis announced an investigation into a now-former deputy for retail thefts that occurred while on duty.
The message sender was later identified as Moratz, per the complaint. Court filings said Moratz told investigators he sent the message, but thought the victim was a "college-aged" athlete.
What they're saying:
Moratz's cellphone was seized as part of the investigation. Court filings said it uncovered a number of explicit videos involving juveniles. He later admitted there was "a lot of underage content. It was horrible the amount of content."
What's next:
The West Bend Police Department is the lead investigating agency in the case. The Hartford Fire & Rescue Department said the member, now identified as Moratz, has been placed on administrative leave.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Hartford Police Department.