Winona Jailer Charged With Soliciting Teen for Sex
By Mike Dougherty, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
Aug. 4–WINONA — A Winona County jailer is sitting in the Olmsted County jail accused of sending a 15-year-old Rochester girl pornographic pictures and using instant messages to try to entice her and her friend to have sex with him.
Nathan Miller Dobbelmann, 25, of Winona, was charged in Winona District Court on Friday with soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct and distributing obscene material. He was arrested Thursday in Winona.
Winona County Attorney Charles MacLean said Dobbelmann has been placed on paid administrative leave from his detention deputy position. Dobbelmann is in the Olmsted jail to avoid any possible conflict, because he is a jailer in Winona, MacLean said.
Judge Jeffrey Thompson set bail at $20,000 without conditions or $5,000 with conditions. The conditions include: remain law abiding, do not leave the state, no contact with the girl he’s accused of contacting, no contact with females under 16 years of age, no use of or access to the Internet and no possession or use of firearms or dangerous weapons. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 16.
Police say in the complaint that they spoke with a girl on July 30 who told them she was receiving disturbing online messages as well as pornographic images over the Internet. She told police she had come into contact with Dobbelmann via online Yahoo Instant Messenger as well as via MySpace.com.
The girl and her parents supplied police with the girl’s computer. Police say in the complaint that a digital evidence technician took the girl’s computer hard drive as evidence. Police used the Yahoo Instant Messenger logs to establish the conversations that took place late last month between Dobbelmann’s account and the girl’s. During an online conversation on July 29, police say that Dobbelmann, using the screen name “hottestsingleman,” asked about having sex with the girl and one of her friends.
The girl told him she was 15, and police say in the criminal complaint that Dobbelmann acknowledged her age, saying it was OK. The complaint says he continued asking about sex, and said he wanted to get together first with the girl and then her friend. On that same day, police say Dobbelmann sent the girl four pictures via e-mail that police described as “clearly pornographic in nature.”
Using a search warrant, police searched Dobbelmann’s Winona home on Aug. 2, taking with them computers, a digital camera and other equipment.
The charge of soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct carries a penalty of three years in prison or a $5,000 fine, or both. The obscene material charge carries a maximum 1 year term or a $3,000 fine, or both.
MacLean also said it’s likely he’ll refer prosecution of the case to another county to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.
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