Minneapolis day care worker had 1,200 images depicting child sex abuse, charges say
UPDATE (Aug. 8, 2024) — An amended criminal complaint charged Eric Allen with three counts of possessing pornographic work in addition to one count of interfering with the privacy of a minor. The original complaint charged him with one count of possessing pornographic work.
UPDATE (Aug. 20, 2024) — Eric Allen has been charged with three counts of production of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography in federal court.
MINNEAPOLIS — A Twin Cities day care worker is accused of taking nude photographs of some of the young children in his care.
Wednesday, prosecutors charged 39-year-old Eric Allen with having pornography on his computer and phone.
Allen worked at Mount Carmel Child Care Center in northeast Minneapolis. The day care center is part of Mount Carmel Lutheran Church. The pastor there says they terminated the suspect when they were informed of his arrest. The church had no other comment.
Court documents detail how Allen admitted to having images of girls from the daycare on his phone and gave names to investigators.
The investigation began with a tip in April last year about a cellphone containing child sexual abuse material.
Two months later, a subpoena led investigators to the phone's user, Allen.
The Minneapolis Police Department received the case in December of 2023.
A month later, MPD informed the state that MPD no longer has the ability or expertise to investigate crimes involving criminal sexual assault of a minor due to staffing issues.
In March 2024, a state investigation led to a search warrant for Allen's cellphone where abuse videos were found. Those images showed female minors involved in sexual activities with each other and an adult man.
In August, a search warrant was served on Allen's home.
He admitted his phone number and computer were tied to child sexual abuse material.
Allen eventually told investigators there were pictures of girls from day care on his phone, he also admitted to being interested in young girls.
Investigators found 1,200 photos and videos on Allen's phone, which is still being processed for evidence.
State crime agents are now working to identify the victims and notify their parents.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the child care center is cooperating with the investigation and additional charges may be added.
Allen was arrested and initially released. The state later issued a warrant for his arrest due to the severity of this offense and he was back in custody as of Wednesday afternoon. His first appearance in court is set for Thursday.
Investigators urge anyone with information about the case to call 651-793-7000.