Images from Hidden Camera & Illegal Screen Shots Detailed in New Charges Against Former Olmsted County Deputy
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- An investigation into an alleged sex crime has led to more charges being filed against a former Olmsted County Detention Deputy.
Last month 44-year-old Matthew Adamson was charged as the result of a sting operation in which he is accused of attempting to solicit sexual acts from who he thought was a 13-year-old girl.
The girl was actually an undercover Rochester Police Officer and Adamson was arrested after arriving at the agreed upon meeting location and calling out the fake girl’s name, the criminal complaint in that case says.
The former Olmsted County Adult Detention Center Corporal was arraigned in that case on Nov. 3 on felony charges of hiring an individual believed to be under the age of 14 for prostitution, electronically soliciting a person believed to be a child to engage in sexual conduct and engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with a child.
Investigators obtained search warrants to seize electronic items belonging to Adamson as part of the sting operation investigation. A warrant complaint, filed Wednesday in Olmsted County Court, says Adamson was allowed to return home to gather personal belongings following the arraignment.
On Nov. 6, law enforcement was informed that Adamson was attempting to destroy two external harddrives that were at his home, the complaint says. Investigators retrieved the hard drives and began sifting through a large amount of data stored on the seized electronics.
The review of the data that’s detailed in the complaint uncovered screen shots from a Department of Corrections Camera stationed in the changing room at the Olmsted County Jail. The images depicted three different female detainees changing and were captured between 2021 and 2023.
The charges say Adamson was allowed to access the camera through his position within the detention center but prohibited from screenshotting and storing the images on a personal device. Investigators also found what appears to be a screen shot of footage captured by a body-worn camera that showed a female lifting her shirt on one of Adamson’s hard drives.
The data review also led to the discovery of images from at least five cameras that appeared to have been hidden in what the complaint describes as “separate and distinct bathroom locations.” The images depicted six females undressing to enter a shower.
Three of the victims are women and three are girls ranging in age from 10-20, the court document states. The images, stored on one of the hard drives, have unverified timestamps that range in date from 2015-2019.
On Nov. 21, the Minnesota BCA informed local Investigators they had also uncovered images on Adamson’s phone that depicted suspected child sexual abuse material. The review remains ongoing as of Dec. 6 due to the amount of data on Adamson’s phone, according to the complaint.
Rochester Police said Thursday that Adamson was re-arrested in northwest Rochester on Wednesday and transported to the Mower County Jail due to his former employment in the Olmsted County Jail.
The warrant complaint charges Adamson with three counts of felony possession of pornographic work depicting a minor under the age of 14, four gross misdemeanor counts of interfering with privacy and one gross misdemeanor charge of misconduct of a public officer exceeding authority.
Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson issued the following statement Thursday afternoon:
A few weeks ago, a criminal complaint was filed against former Olmsted County Adult Detention Center employee Mathew Adamson. A second complaint was filed on December 6, 2023. The alleged conduct described in these criminal complaints is inconsistent with the values of the Sheriff’s Office, the work of the individual Sheriff’s Office employees who have dedicated their lives to public service, and the communities we have sworn to serve. The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office takes great pride in the trust the public places in us to respect and support all people in our communities. We will continue to serve and protect our communities to the best of our judgment and abilities. Thank you. -Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson
Adamson has not yet appeared in Olmsted County Court for arraignment on the eight new charges.
Story updated to include statement from Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson
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