DANE COUNTY (WKOW) -- A pastor from Monona Friday reacted with alarm and disputed some of the accusations against him as he appeared for a Dane County hearing on felony child pornography possession charges.
"What you could really do to me...I'm blown away," Peter Olson, 74, told the court.
"You see it as guilty," Olson said. "With the innocence involved, is not all of that was as bad as you think," he said.
Authorities say a cyber tip led Monona Police to confirm suspected child pornography was linked to Olson's internet account. Court records state officers went to Olson's Monona apartment this week to carry out a court-approved search and he answered the door naked. Records state investigators seized a cell phone, a computer hard drive, more than a dozen optical discs, and "child erotica printed photos." Olson was arrested.
A probable cause statement says Olson "....had around 70,000 photos and they could not be reviewed." Authorities say more criminal charges are possible as those photos are examined.
Court Commissioner Scott McAndrew allowed Olson to be released on a signature bond, but barred him from using the internet, over Olson's objection.
"There's a lot of people I have to inform about this all around the world," Olson told the court.
After Olson's jail release Friday, Olson elaborated on his ministry efforts to 27 News.
"I help with money transferred to an orphanage in Kenya, and to another one in Ukraine," Olson told 27 News.
McAndrew said Olson could find someone who could use the internet on his behalf to inform those missions and others connected to his work of his circumstances.
A criminal complaint against Olson says he trolled internationally for pornographic material, some of it allegedly child pornography. "He visited Russian websites," the complaint states.
Olson tells 27 News he's wanted to get counseling for his interest in pornography.
If convicted, Olson faces a mandatory, minimum prison sentence of three years. Olson tells 27 News a prison term for his alleged actions would waste an opportunity for him to continue to help needy communities overseas.
Olson says he's served in a pastor's role for several religious groups in Wisconsin and worked with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
A court hearing for Olson May 6 will decide whether there is sufficient evidence against him to schedule a trial.
More at WKOW 27 News