MADISON
The state Supreme Court accepted a Walworth County case Tuesday and will consider whether the $500-per-count surcharge associated with child porn possession charges is a âpunishmentâ he should have been told about during his plea hearing.
Whether it is considered a punishment is relevant because Anthony M. Schmidt is arguing Walworth County Judge Phillip Koss should have explained it during the 2019 plea hearing before imposing $7,000 in costs.
After reaching a plea agreement, Schmidt, 31, of Lake Geneva, pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing child porn, and he had eight other of those charges dismissed and read into the record, according to online court records from the April 1, 2019, hearing.