Dodge Center Man Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charges

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Mantorville, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Dodge Center man has admitted to multiple child pornography charges through a plea agreement that could send him to prison for 5 years.

31-year-old Joseph Lee Carlson today entered guilty pleas to five counts of possession of child pornography. In exchange, the Dodge County Attorney's Office agreed to dismiss 15 other felony child pornography charges and three counts of solicitation of a child.

The charges stem from an investigation that began in September of last year after Carlson was confronted by a vigilante group that called itself the Midwest Predator Catchers. Armed with cell phone cameras streaming video to YouTube, three members of the group claimed Carlson had solicited sex from one of them posing as a 14-year-old boy online.

The following month, search warrants were executed by investigators who found more than 200 suspected child pornography images stored on Carlson’s phone and other electronic devices and more than 150 sexually explicit videos of children as young as infants. The court document also states that a large number of online chats were found on the phone that contained sexualized conversations between Carlson and juveniles.

The plea agreement does not include a sentencing recommendation but the prosecution indicated it would request an executed prison sentence. State sentencing guidelines call for a range of 51-60 months In prison. Carlson's defense attorney gave notice of intent to seek a downward departure with a stayed prison sentence.