Owatonna Man Sentenced in Rochester Underage Sex Sting

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Owatonna man has been sentenced for a conviction stemming from a Rochester Police Department undercover juvenile sex sting investigation.

According to court records, Rochester police described the investigation as “a proactive undercover operation targeting online offenders attempting to solicit minors for sexual acts.” Thirty-six-year-old Michael Anthony Tuma was arrested as a result of the investigation last June.

Officer Posed as Teen Girl in Online Conversation

He was charged with one count of engaging in electronic communication relating to or describing sexual conduct with a child and one count of soliciting a child—or a person believed to be a child—through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct.

The criminal complaint says Tuma exchanged messages with an officer posing online as a juvenile female. He was accused of arranging to meet the girl at Foster-Arend Park in northwest Rochester, where he was taken into custody upon arrival.

READ MORE: Underage Sex Sting Leads to Arrest of Minnesota Man Who Agreed to Meet Minor at Rochester Park

Plea Deal Leads to Reduced Jail Sentence and Probation

Tuma later entered into a plea agreement and admitted to the charge of electronic communication describing sexual conduct with a minor in exchange for the dismissal of the solicitation charge.

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He has now been sentenced to five years on probation. Tuma was also given a 15-day jail sentence with work-release privileges, which was reduced to 11 days with credit for time already served. Tuma sentence also includes a requirement that he register as a predatory offender.

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