Child Porn Charges Dropped in Rochester Plea Agreement

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A plea agreement has been reached in the case of a Rochester man charged in a child pornography and teenage prostitution case late last year.

The plea deal, which calls for the dismissal of all but one of the charges against 45-year-old Joel Alan Ashbacher, follows a court ruling issued in August that suppressed much of the evidence gathered by investigators. The presiding judge sided with Ashbacher’s defense attorney, who argued that police had insufficient probable cause to obtain a search warrant for his home. The judge, however, denied a defense request to suppress statements given by Ashbacher to investigators.

READ MORE: Key Evidence Thrown Out in Rochester Child Porn Case

According to court records, Ashbacher became the target of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department last October after investigators received a cyber tip alleging that he was soliciting minors to engage in sexual acts. That led to the issuance of a search warrant for his person, vehicle, and home.

The criminal complaint states that Ashbacher was stopped by police as he was driving away from his northwest Rochester residence in November. The justification for the traffic stop was the officers’ knowledge that Ashbacher had a revoked driver’s license.

Investigators Seized 117 Suspected Child Abuse File

While he was being interviewed by the officer, Rochester police searched his home and seized multiple devices that, according to the complaint, contained 117 files of suspected child sexual abuse material. The charges specifically listed one image and two videos depicting adults engaging in forced sexual conduct with boys ranging in age from 6 months to 8 years old.

The court document says investigators also found online chats between Ashbacher and other users on an app in which he talked about having sex with an underage teenage boy. The charges allege that Ashbacher paid the juvenile for sex and shared sexually explicit photos of the victim in app-based chats.

Plea Deal Calls for Dismissal of Child Pornography Counts

Ashbacher was charged with one count of dissemination of child pornography, three counts of possession of child pornography, and one count of prostitution involving a person believed to be between the ages of 16 and 18.

Get our free mobile app

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Ashbacher has agreed to plead guilty to the felony prostitution charge, while all of the child pornography charges will be dismissed. He is scheduled to be sentenced in December.

More Minnesota News:

• Rochester Man Sentenced for Armed Robbery at AT&T Store
• Charges: Downtown Rochester Hit-and-Run Was Intentional
• Teen Hurt in Multi-Vehicle Crash at Winona Intersection