Man Gets Probation After Rochester Police Online Sting

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A man from the Twin Cities area has been given a probationary sentence for a felony conviction stemming from a Rochester Police Department online sting investigation.

Twin Cities Man Sentenced to Five Years of Probation

Olmsted County court records indicate that 47-year-old Michael Joseph Ross of Wyoming entered into a plea agreement earlier this summer and pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in electronic communication relating to or describing sexual conduct with a child. In exchange, a felony count of solicitation of a child was dismissed.

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Ross was sentenced this week in Olmsted County Court to five years of probation. He was also ordered to serve a three-day jail sentence.

Criminal Complaint Details Undercover Online Operation

The criminal complaint alleged that Ross sent sexually explicit messages to an undercover police officer posing online as a 14-year-old girl. The court document says Ross, following his arrest last year, admitted to the sexually explicit conversations. In one of the messages, Ross told the officer that he had a hotel room and that they "could do anything."

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Source: Man Gets Probation After Rochester Police Online Sting

Filed Under: Twin Cities, Rochester, Crime, Olmsted County, Rochester Police Department

Categories: Local News