Former Franklin College President Thomas J. Minar appeared in a Wisconsin courtroom for the first time Monday on charges related to sex crimes with a minor.
Minar was fired from the college earlier this month after his arrest in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where he is accused of sending sexually explicit messages, including photos, to an undercover officer who was posing as a 15 year old.
The Door County, Wisconsin district attorney charged Minar with child enticement, use of a computer to facilitate a sex crime and exposing a child to harmful materials, all felonies that carry a maximum sentence of 68 1/2 years in prison if convicted on all counts and ordered to serve separate sentences for each, as well as up to $210,000 in fines.
Minar appeared in person at about 10 a.m. Monday before Judge David L. Weber at the Door County Circuit Court, according to online court records.
Weber asked Minar a series of questions related to the charges against him, including whether he understood each of them. He answered with a nod or a quiet yes or no.
Minar and his attorney did not waive his right to a preliminary hearing, which is where the district attorney presents some of the case to demonstrate there is enough evidence to go forward. But he did waive his right to the hearing within the 20-day time limit.
A status conference is scheduled Feb. 20.
Minar is represented by Brett Reetz, a Sturgeon Bay defense attorney. Door County District Attorney Colleen Catherine Nordin is prosecuting the case, according to court records.
After the initial hearing Monday, Minar and Reetz declined to comment.
An officer with the Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin police department said he was starting an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation on Jan. 6. The officer created a profile on Grindr, which indicated he was a 19-year-old man named Tyler.
Grindr is a social media networking app geared toward gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. The app claims it is the world’s largest for the LGBTQ community, according to its website.
About 1:30 p.m. Jan. 6, Minar, 56, who identified himself as a 53-year-old man on the messaging app, began chatting with the undercover officer, according to court documents filed in the Door County Circuit Court.
Minar exchanged messages with the officer, who eventually told Minar he was 15. Minar continued to send sexually explicit messages and photos to the officer throughout the day, and said he had a vacation home in the area, court documents said.
Minar made references to pornography and said several times that what the officer was saying was “hot,” or “sexy,” and mused on what the child’s body and underwear might look like, according to messages between the two that were included in the court documents.
As the chat progressed, Minar sent multiple photos of himself in his underwear, some of which also showed his face, asked questions about the boy’s body and asked for photos, according to court documents.
Minar also said he thought it was “hot” that the boy was 14 years old when he had sex with an older man, court documents said.
The officer attempted to move the conversation to text, but Minar told him it would be bad if messages between the two were found on his phone, court documents said.
Minar later suggested they meet, court documents said.
The duo arranged a meeting at a fast-food restaurant in the area. “And we just hang out right,” Minar said about the arranged meeting, according to the documents.
Police arrested Minar at the restaurant. Minar told police he was not looking for “sexual things,” and that if the conversations turned sexual, it was part of a fantasy, documents said.
He also told police nothing sexual would have occurred and that young gay men need mentors and role models. He said he started the conversations on Grindr because he was curious and bored and he thought chatting with a 15 year old could lead to conversation, friendship and education, according to court documents.
Minar said he is normally attracted to young adult men and has never been attracted to children, but he had communicated with minors using the app in the past, court documents said.
College officials were already in the process of searching for a new president. Minar announced last year he would be resigning his position in June 2020. That search is ongoing. Kerry Prather, who has served the college for 37 years as athletic director and head men’s basketball coach, is acting president.
Minar entered a change of address to the court on Jan. 15, from his house on Franklin College’s campus to a house in Evanston, Illinois, according to court records.
He was released from jail Jan. 7 on $7,500 bond.
The Statehouse File contributed to this report.
