Police donate books as sextortion tips surge

MANAWA – As sextortion cases rise across Wisconsin, Manawa Police are working to educate students and families by donating internet safety books to local schools.

Police recently partnered on a book drive with Community Safety Net, a safety awareness and education initiative. Area businesses donated funds to purchase 164 books.

Police Chief Jason Severson said a representative from Community Safety Net first approached the department with a proposal focused on drug education, but he said internet safety felt more urgent.

“We have had youth in Waupaca County and obviously throughout Wisconsin die by suicide because of these types of things,” he said.

Manawa Police will go to St. Paul Lutheran School and the Manawa Middle School for an internet safety presentation and books will be given to students to take home.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation where the offender threatens to release compromising material of the victim unless the victim sends money, gift cards, additional sexual content, or engages in sexual activity.

Sextortion has become a serious problem in Wisconsin. The DOJ reported that the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force received more than 650 cyber tips related to sextortion last year, a 183% increase from roughly 230 tips in 2024.

The issue gained attention after 15-year-old Bradyn Bohn of Kronenwetter, near Wausau, died by suicide last year after falling victim to a sextortion scheme. Bradyn’s Law was enacted in December, making sexual extortion a criminal offense in Wisconsin.

According to Severson, predators often pose as peers online, using stock nude images to share to gain a child’s trust “and then these kids think that it’s that person, and they start sending their own nudes back.”

Severson said the cases go beyond embarrassment or online harassment.

“Some of these kids run into trouble where they don’t know what else to do, so then they end up hurting themselves,” he said.

Police are targeting middle school-age students because that is typically when children first receive smartphones, and with them, constant online access. Unlike previous generations, Severson said bullying, harassment and peer pressure now follow kids home.

“Back when I was a kid, we didn’t have cell phones, so once you left school, if you’re having issues with another kid, you won’t have any contact with them until the next day,” he said. “Well now, 24/7, you can be bullied or talked into doing things on your phone.”

Severson urged parents and guardians to take practical steps: set phone-free times, charge phones outside the bedroom and consider using parental monitoring apps. He said that open communication is critical and kids need to hear that a mistake does not have to be life-ending.

“I hope that meeting with these middle school kids will help have those conversations at home and explain to them what these situations are, and what likely is really going on, and try to prevent them from getting into those situations to begin with,” he said.

For families who discover that a child has sent explicit photos, Severson pointed to both online tools and law enforcement as resources. A free online service called Take It Down can help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before youth were 18.

Families should also contact police, he said, though investigating out-of-state or international offenders can be challenging.

The Community Safety Net internet safety book also includes guidance on phishing emails, suspicious links and computer viruses. It is available for public viewing at communitysafetynet.com.

Severson thanked the local businesses that donated to make the project possible. He said the combination of education, take-home books and parent conversations can help reduce harm and potentially save lives.