Man charged with attempting to solicit child in St. Cloud
ST. CLOUD ― A Pelican Rapids man has been charged with three felonies for attempting to solicit a girl he believed to live in St. Cloud to engage in sexual conduct, according to a criminal complaint filed in Stearns County court.
Joshua Andrew Jansen, 33, is charged with three counts of felony sexual solicitation of a child through electronic communication.
In July an investigator with the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force was logged into Omegle.com and KIK, online chat rooms where the solicitation of children to engage in sexual conduct frequently takes place. The investigator logged on in an undercover role as a 15-year-old girl living in St. Cloud.
Starting in July a man later identified as Jansen began messaging the investigator sexually explicit questions and sending sexually explicit photos believing he was chatting with a child.
More:Sex trafficking of children on the rise in Central Minnesota, often happens online
On Nov. 9 investigators with the task force and the Hubbard County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at Jansen's residence in Park Rapids. Jansen told police he had a KIK and Omegle account and admitted to sending naked photos. He also said he had been sent child pornography in the past by other users.
Jansen was booked in Stearns County Jail and did not have a court date scheduled as of Thursday.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Man charged with attempting to solicit child in St. Cloud
