Former division fire chief gets probation for possessing child porn on computer

A former La Crosse fire department official pleads guilty to possessing child pornography, and will be on probation for 18 months. 

Former division chief Frank Devine was charged two years ago with possessing images of naked children on a computer, after a search by a national organization. 

After entering his plea Thursday, Devine apologized to his family and the community.

“Because of an addiction I did not understand, or realize that I had, I let that addiction take over too much of my life,” said Devine. “That is not who I am, or who I would ever want to be.”

The 54-year-old Devine has undergone counseling in the past two years, which was a factor used by Judge Elliott Levine in imposing probation.     

The judge said Devine has had “fairly much a flawless life, very productive, very kind, etc., except for this one area where addiction sort of took over his behavior.”

Devine’s attorney Keith Belzer says his client did not intend to keep the couple of photos he had downloaded.  

Devine was active as a division chief of the city fire department, supervising bluff rescue operations, until he was forced to quit the department because of the porn charge.