By Patrick Tepoorten

Acting on a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, the North Branch Police Department (NBPD) recently uncovered a child pornographer and, subsequently, the sexual assault of a young minor.

Officers served a search warrant at the residence of Bruce Allan Jorgenson Jr., 36, North Branch, on the evening of Oct. 10, a search that produced evidence of the possession and the distribution of child pornography.

According to Sheriff Todd Rivard, the search, led by North Branch investigator Todd Frank, discovered photos, CDs, suggestive flash cards, and various other examples of child pornography.

Along with those discoveries was a street address and a map.

Frank and Chisago County investigator Tracy Armistead followed up on that evidence, which led to a family out of county.

A five-year-old girl residing at that residence was interviewed by specialists at Childrenís Hospital, which led to her statement that she had been assaulted while visiting relatives in Chisago County. Jorgenson Jr. was promptly charged with that assault.

According to statements by the victim and a relative, contained in the criminal complaint, Jorgenson Jr. requested that the victim accompany him to a birthday party in early September.

Upon her return, the victim told the relative that Jorgenson Jr. had touched her in her ìprivate spotsî while they were in the front seat of his car. The victim also indicated that she was made to touch Jorgenson Jr.

The victim also relayed the story to her mother after returning home, who told police she did not report the crime out of embarrassment for both her family and that of Jorgenson Jr.

Jorgenson Jr. denies that he ever touched the victim inappropriately or that she was ever in the front seat of his car.

He explained the address and map to the victimís house as in his possession for a surprise visit to the victimís family planned in August.

The alleged crime was uncovered due to a chain of events that began with Web host Yahoo! in August. At that time, Yahoo! discovered a Web site containing 25 images classified as child pornography. It was able to track the Web site to an e-mail address belonging to Jorgenson Jr. Yahoo! then contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber-tip line.

From there the information made its way to ICAC and ultimately to NBPD.

Armisteadís involvement in the investigation was at the request of NBPD.

In a Tuesday interview, County Attorney Katherine Johnson confirmed that Jorgenson Jr. has been charged with first and second degree criminal sexual conduct.

Jorgenson Jr. is currently being held in the Chisago County jail on $200,000 bail.