North Fond du Lac man sentenced to 25 years in prison on child pornography and arson charges
FOND DU LAC – A 45-year-old North Fond du Lac man was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison followed by 25 years of extended supervision on child pornography and arson charges.
Michael L. Miller was convicted in June of 12 felonies: five counts of possession of child pornography, two counts of arson, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, one count of burglary and two counts of criminal damage to property.
In March of 2020, there were several suspicious house fires in Fond du Lac County, and the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office issued a news release asking the public if they had any tips about the fires. According to a criminal complaint, Miller was identified as a suspect after he contacted a North Fond du Lac police officer March 25 with a tip about "a suspicious black car" he saw on the night of multiple fires. Police then interviewed Miller, during which he mentioned several other fires he was aware of.
Police interviewed Miller again multiple times in April. After police confronted him with videos and other evidence, Miller admitted to intentionally setting 12 fires in Fond du Lac County between December 2018 and April 2020, according to the complaint. Miller provided specific details about the fires, including that he often started them using underwear.
Police also found thousands of pornographic images on Miller's phone, including several depicting children.
No one was physically injured in the fires.
“The defendant stole the sense of security from victims and the series of arsons placed community members, first responders, and firefighters in danger," Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said in a statement. "During the course of the arson investigations child pornography was discovered in the defendant’s possession, which has a devastating impact on victims as those digital images are continually shared over and over again. Our community is safer as a result of this defendant being locked up but no sentence can repair the damage done by child pornography. I am grateful nobody was physically injured as a result of the defendant’s crimes.”
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Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: North Fond du Lac man sentenced on child pornography and arson charges
