Alex Emerson

A Minot man who pleaded guilty to five counts of possession of certain materials prohibited in February has been sentenced to two years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Alex J. Emerson, 24, Minot, appeared in North Central District Court on Tuesday for his sentencing before Judge Gary Lee. Emerson entered a change of plea to guilty to the five Class C felony counts after entering into a plea agreement with the Ward County State’s Attorney. Five additional counts of possession of certain materials prohibited were dismissed in accordance with the plea agreement.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Emerson was charged after an investigation by North Dakota Bureau of Investigation into a cybertip submitted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in May 2024. Investigators reviewed the instances of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from the cybertip, which included videos of juveniles.

Investigators reviewed the subscriber information for the IP address and phone number associated with the suspected child sex abuse material, which was determined to be Emerson’s residence in Minot and an address in Stanley. A search warrant was executed on Emerson’s residence on Sept. 5, 2024. Emerson was interviewed by law enforcement, and admitted to downloading the CSAM.

The parties reviewed the presentence investigation, with Emerson’s attorney David Dusek noting his client had accepted responsibility from day one.

Assistant Ward County State’s attorney Kenessa Copeland presented the recommended sentence per the plea agreement, which consisted of five years with the DOCR, with all but two years suspended, to be followed by three years of supervised probation. The sentence was concurrent across all five counts, with provisions requiring Emerson to register as a sex offender upon release. Emerson was given credit for 279 days already served and 39 days of good time.

Lee imposed the recommended sentence and assessed $125 in court fines and fees.