KENOSHA, Wis. — A Racine County Sheriff’s correctional officer accused of possessing child pornography appeared in court Friday and was ordered held on a $10,000 cash bail, despite prosecutors asking for a higher amount.
(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
(Racine County Sheriff’s Office)
Benjamin J. Rattle, 37, of Racine, is being housed in the Kenosha County Jail rather than the Racine County Jail because of safety concerns and his employment with the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.
Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson (D)’s office asked Liberal Activist Court Commissioner Sally Hoelzel for a $15,000 cash bail, which is a relatively high amount for the office to seek. Hoelzel instead set bail at $10,000 cash. Rattle remains in custody.
Rattle is charged with six counts of possession of child pornography. Each count is a Class D felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Investigators with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation began looking into Rattle in February after receiving cyber tips dating back to December 2025. Authorities said two separate cyber tips were linked to Rattle and to an address on Monroe Avenue in Racine.
One of the tips reportedly came from X Corp and involved an account using the name “Showoff1247.” Investigators alleged the account was associated with a large number of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material, including videos involving prepubescent girls.
A second cyber tip reportedly came from Instagram and involved a user identified as “Ben” with a date of birth matching Rattle’s.
Investigators executed a search warrant related to the X account and allegedly found images and messages identifying the user as an older married man seeking contact with teenage girls. Authorities also said the account included photographs of Rattle, including at least one image that appeared to show law enforcement gear in the background.
The complaint alleges investigators reviewed a folder containing 896 images and videos, many of which allegedly depicted child sexual assault material.
The six criminal counts each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of at least three years in prison if convicted. Because there are six counts, Rattle faces a combined maximum penalty of 150 years in prison and $600,000 in fines.
Rattle had been employed as a correctional officer at the Racine County Jail. Racine County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael Luell previously told Kenosha County Eye that Rattle had been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. Luell later confirmed Thursday afternoon that Rattle has resigned from the sheriff’s office.
Kenosha County Eye also reached out to the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation before publishing this story to determine whether publication could interfere with any ongoing investigation. The agency declined to comment. This marks the first time Kenosha County Eye has encountered that response during a courtesy check with law enforcement.
15 Responses
Hopefully he enjoys his stay
At least he is not a priest—or a drag queen,
He could be a tranny
Prob is. Those are the worst of society
When does he start working at KUSD?
He looks like a chomo!
Let me guess, The stress of the job made him do it!
So creepy looking him up on Facebook and seeing the picture of him with a little girl on the trolley
Another reason to ban porn, it brings nothing but depravity.
Diddy
I guess I don’t understand why the site holders can’t automatically take down child porn and report the original poster 🤷♀️
I say we hang ’em high in the town square and the let the kids stone him.
Public execution
He’s a chomo and a cop. The two most hated things in prison all rolled into one.
He’s not a cop he’s a jailer works in the jail.