Guilty Plea Entered in Rochester Online Juvenile Sex Sting

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A man from the Twin Cities area has pleaded guilty to a sex crime in Olmsted County.

Rochester Police Sting Leads to Guilty Plea

According to court records, 46-year-old Ben Michael Joseph Ross of Wyoming entered a guilty plea this morning to a felony charge of electronic communication relating to or describing sexual conduct with a child. In exchange, Olmsted County prosecutors dismissed a count of solicitation of a child to engage in sexual acts.

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Undercover Officer Posed as 14-Year-Old Girl

The criminal complaint against Ross alleges that he sent sexually explicit messages to an undercover Rochester police officer posing online as a 14-year-old girl. The charges stem from an undercover sting investigation conducted by Rochester police last fall.

Danger concept on the internet, man's palms on a laptop keyboard — Grzegorz Zdziarski (stock photo)

Sentencing Hearing Scheduled for September

Court documents state that Ross, following his arrest, admitted to the sexually explicit conversations. At one point, Ross told the officer that he had a hotel room and that they "could do anything."

Ross is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

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