Lake Mills teacher, track coach charged with sexual exploitation of a minor

FOREST CITY — A Lake Mills teacher who is the girls track and field coach has been arrested on sexual exploitation of a minor charges.

36-year-old Skyler Ahrens of Forest City has been charged with: sexual exploitation of a minor with cause to engage in an act, a Class B felony; grooming, a Class D felony; and three counts of telephone dissemination of obscene material to a minor, an aggravated misdemeanor.

A criminal complaint filed in Winnebago County District Court states that on August 2nd, a Winnebago County deputy posing as a 15-year-old girl in an undercover investigation engaged in an online conversation with Ahrens.

The deputy states that Ahrens was told multiple times that that girl was 15 years old and Ahrens allegedly continued the conversation and deliberately tried to manipulate and build the trust of the female. Ahrens is accused of sending a sexually explicit photo and also asked for nude photos of the female.

Ahrens was booked into the Winnebago County Jail where he’s being held on a total bond of $30,000.

The Lake Mills School District in a statement says they were made aware of the investigation on Wednesday, saying the reported conduct is a violation of professional ethics standards and district policy. Ahrens has been placed on administrative leave while the matter is under investigation by law enforcement.