DE SOTO, Wis. (WFRV) – A 41-year-old registered sex offender from La Crosse is facing two dozen additional felony charges after allegedly photographing minors during a school sporting event in Vernon County.
According to the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, authorities in late March 2025 were contacted by the La Crosse Police Department, which had uncovered digital media during a search warrant at the suspect’s home. The images reportedly depicted minors and were believed to have been taken in Vernon County.
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Investigators determined that 24 minors from three different area school districts were photographed during a sporting event held in October 2024 in the Village of De Soto. All of the children in the photos have since been identified.
The suspect was identified as Jonathan R. Staats, 41, of La Crosse. Authorities say they will recommend 24 charges of a registered sex offender intentionally photographing a minor—one count for each identified victim.
Staats was previously convicted in November 2023 in La Crosse County Circuit Court for trafficking of a child, party to the crime. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for 15 years.
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He is also currently facing multiple felony charges in La Crosse County in connection to a child pornography investigation that began in February 2025 following a cyber tip. The images discovered by Vernon County officials were located during that investigation.
Authorities ask anyone with additional information related to the case to contact law enforcement.
