Bay Man Facing Child Pornography Charges After Asking Cop to Fix Computer

A Whitefish Bay man who asked an off-duty cop to fix his home computer is facing child pornography charges after the cop found photos of partially nude children on the machine.

David Pitel, 52, had asked the Whitefish Bay officer to work on his computer Thursday afternoon and the cop found images of young girls, according to a criminal complaint filed Sunday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

The officer notified Whitefish Bay police of his findings, and in a search the same day, police found more pornographic pictures of underage girls on the  computer, in Pitel's wallet and elsewhere in the room, according to the complaint. One of the girls appeared to be about 11 years old.

Pitel, 6028 N. Shoreland Ave., was charged with three felony counts of child pornography possession, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $100,000 per count. The court can also impose a surcharge of $500 for each image or each copy of an image.

Pitel is not in police custody and is scheduled to appear in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Wednesday for his initial appearance, according to online court records.

Police Chief Robert Jacobs said possession of child pornography is a rare occurrence in the village.

He said none of the photos were taken in Whitefish Bay or involved local children, and were all accessed through the Internet. He said Pitel and his parents are longtime residents of Whitefish Bay, and Pitel does not have a criminal record.

“We have no evidence, no indication whatsoever that he has ever tried to entice a child or make contact with a child,” Jacobs said.

When reached by telephone, Pitel’s parents said they did not want to comment and referred a reporter to their lawyer, whom they would not name and is not yet listed in online court records.