Robert Kaufman, Minot, pleads not guilty to possession of child porn
Robert Kaufman, 32, Minot, entered a not guilty plea Thursday to a Class C felony charge of possession of child pornography in district court in Minot.
According to testimony given by Minot Police Patrolman Jordan Froehlich during a preliminary hearing, a woman told police that Kaufman, who is a member of her extended family, had naked pictures of her young daughter on his cell phone. The mother of the child had used a tablet to take pictures of the incriminating photos on Kaufman’s cell phone, which she then showed police at the police station. Police spoke with Kaufman, who refused to give them access to his cell phone, and they then obtained a search warrant for the phone. Froehlich testified that the photos showed the hand of an adult pulling up a shirt and exposing the small left breast of a pre-pubescent female. There were other photos on the phone showing the private parts of a pre-pubescent boy.
The mother of the children told police that her daughter had complained that she felt like someone was watching her while she slept. The mother told police that she recognized the hand as belonging to Kaufman and that the photo of the young girl was of her daughter.
However, her children were interviewed at the Northern Plains Children’s Advocacy Center and denied that Kaufman had ever taken pictures of them, defense lawyer Kyle Craig told Judge Gary Lee. The girl also denied that she told her mother someone was watching her while she slept.
Craig wants a forensic analysis done of the phone to determine when and where the pictures were taken and how they got on the phone. Craig also said there has been some animosity between Kaufman and the children’s mother, which he might also raise as part of Kaufman’s defense.
Lee found probable cause to let the case against Kaufman go forward, but told the state to make sure that the forensic testing is done on Kaufman’s phone.
Lee also gave permission for Kaufman to leave the state to work in Chandler, Ariz., while he is out on bond.
A pretrial conference in the case is scheduled for Jan. 9.