Former Stoughton councilman pleads not guilty to child porn charges

Logan Reigstad,
Posted:
by Logan Reigstad
Paul Lawrence Mugshot
Courtesy Dane County Sheriff's Office

MADISON, Wis. — A former Stoughton city councilman pleaded not guilty Tuesday to child pornography charges.

Paul Lawrence, 67, entered a not guilty plea in Dane County court to five felony charges of possession of child pornography.

Police arrested Lawrence in late August after investigators executed a search warrant at his Stoughton home. When the investigators went into Lawrence’s room, they allegedly found a closed laptop with sound playing; when they opened it, they saw a video of two teenagers having sex.

Officials said they began investigating Lawrence in June after getting a tip from Google about an account tied to Lawrence that contained files with child pornography.

According to Lawrence’s LinkedIn account, he served as an alderman for nearly 20 years, including two stints as council president.

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