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Former Milwaukee firefighter pleads not guilty to child porn charges

Accused of having pictures of a child under 12
Posted at 4:18 PM, Mar 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-21 18:08:05-04

The former Milwaukee firefighter accused of having child pornography pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday.

Robert Rutley, the man who the FBI tracked to Montana after a raid of his fire station, remains behind bars, but now has a trial date.

Rutley's attorneys entered a plea of not guilty in court Tuesday in two charges related to child pornography. He's accused of having child pornography of a child under 12-years-old and distributing child pornography.

Rutley's parents were in the courtroom as their son was brought in in handcuffs for an official reading of his indictment and to enter his plea. They were visibly upset as his charges were read. As he was taken out of the courtroom, Rutley told his parents, he would call them.

The FBI served a search warrant on Milwaukee fire station 29, where Rutley worked, in February. Attorneys from the US Attorney's  office say they have 30 discs of documents and 2,100 images of child pornography related to the case.

Rutley reportedly ran from authorities after the FBI raid on the fire station where he worked. He was tracked down and arrested in Montana. Rutley's attorneys did not contest the US Attorney's' request that he remain in detention.

If he's convicted of the two counts, Rutley faces up to 40 years in prison, $500,000 in fines and a lifetime of supervision.

His trial is scheduled to start May 22. The attorneys for the government estimate the trial will take two to three days.