Joseph Schinkten appears virtually in Brown County court, June 26, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – De Pere businessman Joseph Schinkten was charged with sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography for incidents allegedly involving a 15-year-old boy.
Schinkten, 68, faces two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child, and one child porn possession count.
During an initial court appearance Thursday, a $25,000 cash bond was set. He returns to court Monday for a balance of initial appearance.
According to the criminal complaint, the teen met Schinkten through the boy’s mother. In a police interview, the teen described alleged incidents of sexual contact with Schinkten, starting in mid-2023. The boy said he sent explicit photos of himself to Schinkten.
Schinkten told police he had a “mentor” and “best friend relationship” with the boy but denied there was any physical contact. A search of Schinkten’s phone confirmed the exchange of explicit text messages and photos, plus information confirming details of the boy’s descriptions of outings with Schinkten. Schinkten called the text exchanges “fantasy,” according to the complaint.
“If you think we ever crossed the line, we never did,” the complaint quotes Schinkten as saying.
Assistant District Attorney Dana Johnson noted additional child pornography charges may be filed.
Schinkten is the former president of a De Pere funeral home, and has served with multiple community organizations and boards.
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