A Brainerd man has been arrested and charged for allegedly sending sexually explicit images to a minor.

Jeffrey Allen McCarthy (Credit: Crow Wing County Jail)

According to court documents, Jeffrey Allen McCarthy, 30, was arrested on January 19 after law enforcement discovered almost 500 messages between himself and a 14-year-old girl. McCarthy reported engaging in these acts back in December of 2022.

McCarthy is currently facing four felony counts, including soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct, soliciting someone believed to be a child through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct, engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with a child, and distributing material via electronic communication that relates/describes sexual conduct to a child.

Law enforcement reportedly learned about McCarthy’s acts on December 26, 2022 after receiving a report from a concerned citizen. Upon investigating the matter, police officers learned the victim alleged that McCarthy sent her hundreds of sexual images and videos via Facebook Messenger. Investigators were able to locate McCarthy’s Facebook page after learning more details from the concerned citizen.

Officials then gained consent to look through the victim’s phone. According to the messages found, contact between McCarthy and the victim started on December 8, 2022. There was a conversation between McCarthy and the minor which showed that McCarthy knew the minor was 14 years old at the time of their interaction.

The interactions continued until about December 23. The criminal complaint states on this date that McCarthy sent sexually explicit videos of himself and other people to the victim. Many of the videos McCarthy took of himself showed his face. Officials report there were approximately 483 pornographic videos and photos sent from McCarthy to the minor, with about 41 photos being sexually explicit selfies of McCarthy.

On January 4, the victim participated to a forensic interview at the Family Advocacy Center in Baxter. The victim relayed to officials what they learned through the Facebook messages, such as how they met, that McCarthy knew the victim’s age when he contacted her and he sent her pornographic videos of himself. The victim stated this conduct made her “feel disgusted and sick to her stomach.”

Initial attempts to locate McCarthy were unsuccessful. But after receiving a tip on January 19, law enforcement managed to locate McCarthy at Our Place in Brainerd. He was placed under arrest and questioned.

During the questioning, McCarthy stated he knew the age of the minor and admitted to sending the explicit images. The criminal complaint states McCarthy claimed he was high on methamphetamine at the time. He also admitted to the wrongdoing of sending the images to a minor.

McCarthy is currently being held at Crow Wing County Jail. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for March 20 at 10:15 a.m. If found guilty, the four felony charges each carry a maximum sentence of 3 years in prison, a fine of $5,000, or both.

By — Mary Balstad