A Starbuck man faces child pornography charges after the Pope County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children of an individual uploading and sharing a total of 42 child pornographic images and videos.
The sheriff’s office investigated the tip and was able to determine the suspect lived in Starbuck. On July 28, the Pope County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant and took Stephan Talmedge Gadbaw Jr., 47, of Starbuck into custody.
Gadbaw Jr. appeared in Pope County Court on July 30 to face five felony charges of distribution of child pornography. Gadbaw is being held on $50,000 unconditional release or $2,000 conditional release bail.
In a news release, the Pope County Sheriff's Office said it takes all tips of individuals trying to exploit youth seriously and "continues to work diligently to combat the grotesque nature of child pornography by using all resources available to hold accountable those responsible."
Law enforcement encourages anyone with information on the exploitation of youth to report it to their local law enforcement agency.
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The Pope County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Starbuck Police Department, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the West Central Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force.
