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The felony case of a former Minot Rural assistant fire chief charged in state court with possession of child sexual abuse material has been closed and reopened in federal court, according to court records.
Robert Barton Knuth was indicted by a federal grand jury that found he knowingly received child sexual abuse material from about December 2024 to April 2026 and knowingly possessed such materials from about March 2025 to April 2026. He also faces another count of theft of funds from a federal program. Knuth is accused of embezzling or obtaining by fraud property valued at $5,000 or more from an organization that benefits from more than $10,000 annually from federal assistance.
He originally had been charged with two counts of use of a minor in a sexual performance, a Class A felony, and possession of certain materials prohibited, a Class B felony, in North Central District Court.
According to court documents reported on previously by The Minot Daily News, the investigation into Knuth began on March 26 when a N.D. Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent was conducting a fraud investigation and discovered what appeared to be child sexual abuse material on Knuth's former work phone from his time as the head of training for the North Dakota Firefighter's Association. Knuth reportedly had resigned from the position and turned his phone in before it was turned over as a part of the fraud investigation.
The North Dakota Firefighter's Association had released a statement clarifying Knuth hadn't served a role with the association since April 2025.
Knuth's federal case is scheduled for a pretrial status conference on Oct. 27, and a trial is set to begin Nov. 17.