Rochester Child Porn Investigation Leads to Guilty Plea
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man is scheduled to be sentenced in December for a child pornography conviction.
26-year-old Ryan Benjamin Thomas was charged last December as the result of an investigation launched by Rochester police in November 2021 after receiving a cyber tip concerning suspected child sexual abuse materials being uploaded and sent using the Kik social media app. The criminal complaint also indicates investigators received a second tip concerning the online activity in July 2022.
Court records indicate the tips listed 44 videos of suspected child sexual abuse material. The documents also state that investigators traced the IP address and phone number from the social media account to Thomas' residence in northwest Rochester.
A search warrant was executed at the residence and Rochester police seized his cell phone. The criminal complaint says a search of the phone led to the discovery of what the charges describe as 152 files containing "obvious CSAM images and videos."
The court document says the materials depicted children ranging in age from 5 to 10 years old.
Thomas was charged with three felony counts of possession of child pornography. He entered into a plea agreement this week and admitted to one of the charges in exchange for the dismissal of the two other counts.
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