Minn. man sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography

By Helmut Schmidt

September 02, 2023 at 11:34 AM

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. 鈥� A Marshall County man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced Friday, Sept. 1

According to court documents:

Keith Allen Barsness, 64, of Grygla, possessed multiple images and videos depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Acting on a tip, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Barsness鈥� residence and found pornographic images of minors on cellphones, tablets and computers.

The documents said Barsness voluntarily admitted to investigators that he had been searching the internet for and viewing child pornography 鈥渇or years.鈥�

Barness pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on Jan. 5 and was sentenced Thursday, Aug. 31, in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric C. Tostrud.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marshall County Sheriff鈥檚 Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Esther Soria Mignanelli prosecuted the case.

By Helmut Schmidt

Helmut Schmidt is a business reporter at The Forum. He鈥檚 a German import, arriving in the United States about a decade after the Volkswagen beetle. After graduating high school in Cottage Grove, Minn., he served in the U.S. Army as a microwave radio operator and repairman. He earned a journalism degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, then started at the Albert Lea Tribune in southeastern Minnesota, where he served three years as its managing editor. At The Forum, he has covered various beats, including K-12 schools, city government, cops and courts, and the business community. Contact Helmut at 701-241-5583 or hschmidt@forumcomm.com.

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Minn. man sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography

Marshall County resident had images of prepubescent minors on cellphones, tables and computers