Ex-Clark Co. sergeant pleads not guilty in child sex crimes case

Former Clark County Sheriff’s Office sergeant Jeremy Chapman, 39, of Spencer, appeared in court earlier this month to enter a not guilty plea to several charges of child sex crimes. Chapman pled not guilty to the four charges filed against him: child sexual exploitation (employ, use, induce), child enticement (expose genitals/pubic area/intimate parts), threats to communicate derogatory information, and soliciting an intimate representation from a minor.

Chapman was arrested in Spencer on June 12 after a months-long Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation that began in January. According to the arrest report, Chapman allegedly created a Snapchat profile with a fake name and used it to request nude images from the victim, a 16-year-old girl. Chapman also allegedly blackmailed the girl into sending additional images and downloading Google Meet, threatening to share said images if she did not comply. He also allegedly threatened to rape the girl “like he did with another juvenile” in the locker room.

Officials used IP addresses and geolocation data to determine messages to the victim were sent from places in Spencer and from Loyal City Hall. Investigators examined Chapman’s work phone on June 14 and found Google searches related to changing an IP address and the length of a Snapchat preservation request. These searches took place in March 2024 during the investigation.

Records also show a search for “948” on June 9, which led the user to a government website showing Wis. Stat. 948.12 related to possession of child pornography. This search also showed up in records on June 12 at 6:06 a.m., at which time Chapman was on his way to the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office prior to being arrested.

Chapman was released from the Taylor County Jail on June 13 on a $2,500 cash bond. He also signed a $10,000 signature bond.

A pre-trial conference has been set for Jan. 8 at 10 a.m., along with a status hearing on Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. in the Taylor County Courthouse.

Jeremy Chapman