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Inmate had child sex abuse material on prison-issued tablet, charges say

By Riley Moser

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    FARIBAULT, Minnesota (WCCO) — Authorities say an inmate at a southern Minnesota correctional facility is facing new charges after investigators discovered child pornography on his prison-issued tablet.

The 27-year-old man, who is currently serving a prison sentence at MCF-Faribault, was charged with 22 felony counts of possession of pornographic images involving minors, according to a criminal complaint filed in Rice County on Thursday.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections says its Office of Special Investigation learned several tablets used by inmates in an educational program had been altered to have unrestricted access to the internet.

Inmates were allowed to keep the tablet in their living quarters and signed an agreement, saying they understood they were not authorized to change any setting on the tablet, according to charging documents.

In total, 22 altered tablets were seized and sent to a company for a forensic review.

After discovering one inmate was potentially in possession of child sex abuse material, the tablet was turned over to the Faribault Police Department.

Faribault police say they found more than 20 images of child sexual abuse material involving girls estimated to be as young as 4 years old on the tablet.

Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell says an internal investigation into how the inmate accessed the materials is ongoing.

Charging documents reveal the inmate has been previously convicted of six counts of possessing pornographic works involving a minor – three in July 2020 and three in February 2021 — two counts of engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with child and stalking.

He is currently is the custody of the Department of Corrections until March 2027.

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