Repeat Sex Offender From Vilas County Sentenced to 10 Years

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jack McBride, 40, Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin, was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. The prison term will be followed by 20 years of supervised release. McBride pleaded guilty to this charge on August 7, 2026.

In March 2025, the Vilas County Sheriff's Office received two CyberTips regarding McBride's online conduct with minors. On June 4, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence. Officers seized two cellular phones and had them forensically analyzed. On the phones, agents found numerous child pornography videos and images and a search history for the words "incest," "very young," and "teen."

At sentencing, Judge Peterson found that the nature of the materials McBride possessed and the fact that it was his second offense were aggravating factors, warranting the 10-year sentence.

The charge against McBride was the result of an investigation conducted by the Vilas County Sheriff's Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.

This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.