STURGEON BAY, Wis. — Former Franklin College President Thomas Minar was sentenced late Monday afternoon to six years in prison and six years of extended supervision, more than two years after being charged with sex crimes.
Minar was arrested in January 2020 after he allegedly messaged an undercover police officer in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, who was posing as a 15-year-old boy on a popular dating app, WTHR reported.
According to the TV station, Minar originally faced the following charges:
- One count of child enticement.
- One count of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.
- One count of exposing a child to harmful material.
- Twelve counts of possession of child pornography.
In March, however, the former administrator of the small Indiana college pleaded guilty to one count of child enticement and three counts of possession of child pornography after the remaining charges were dismissed, WTHR reported.
According to The Herald Bulletin, Door County Circuit Court Judge David Weber called the charges against Minar “extremely serious offenses” when handing down the sentence.
“For that reason, I turn to protection of the public. That is my highest duty,” Weber said.
The judge’s sentence for Minar, who was visiting his mother in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, at the time of the incident, exceeded the mandatory minimum, the newspaper reported.
When he was arrested, Minar told officers that he knew the person he was chatting with was 15 years old but claimed that he likes making friends and that he was not looking for “sexual things,” WTHR reported.
Per the TV station: “According to court documents, Minar told investigators he thinks young gay people need ‘resources’ and ‘non-sexual affirmations and mentorship and role models’ and this was probably a ‘misguided way to provide an opportunity.’ Minar also said he often talks to young people about education, claiming the purpose of his ‘fantasy chat’ with the 15-year-old was ‘sexual curiosity.’”
Minar’s sentence also requires he be listed on the Wisconsin State Sex Offender registry and prohibits contact with minors, social media and internet use without prior approval from his probation agent, The Herald Bulletin reported.
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