UW-Milwaukee lecturer and researcher Dennis B. Tomashek has been charged with five counts of child pornography possession, according to a criminal complaint filed last week. Each count comes with a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
Local police were alerted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that St. Francis native Tomashek had inappropriate pictures on his Tumblr account. Upon obtaining a search warrant, police discovered 14 images of child pornography on Tomashek’s laptop, according to the complaint.
Tomashek received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW-Milwaukee. He specializes in topics including education accessibility, according to UW-Milwaukee's website.
The charges come about three weeks after Tomashek’s UW-Milwaukee College of Health Sciences colleague Anthony Azenabor was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, use of force and one count of fourth-degree sexual assault.
It is unclear when and where the incidents Tomashek is charged with occurred.
“We are taking appropriate personnel action in the cases of both Mr. Azenabor and Mr. Tomashek. While I cannot discuss confidential personnel matters, I can tell you that Mr. Azenabor was not assigned to teach this semester, and Mr. Tomashek’s classes have been reassigned,” UWM officials said in a statement to CBS 58. “We take all reports seriously and will investigate them."
