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CARLTON — Two charges of possession of pornographic material involving minors under 13 years old were added in the alleged sexual abuse case involving 75-year-old Edward Christian of Cloquet.
Christian, who remains in custody at the Carlton County Jail, now faces eight felony charges stemming from alleged abuse that took place in July 2021 and January 2022 involving a 6-year-old girl. The original six charges are criminal sexual conduct in the first-degree.
The child pornographic material was discovered from Christian's Samsung Galaxy S9+ seized at the time of his arrest, according to the amended criminal complaint. The contents of the phone revealed multiple pornographic photos involving the child.
A Kindle owned by Christian was also seized and found to include numerous web searches for child pornographic content, the complaint went on to state.
The Cloquet native was originally arrested on Feb. 22 after a warrant was issued on Feb. 18, after Carlton County Dispatch received a call from the parents of the victim stating that the father had witnessed Christian showing pornographic materials to the child, who was known to Christian, over FaceTime. When asked if Christian had shown pictures like that before, the child said yes.
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The child went on to state that he had made her take nude photographs and touched her genitals and breasts on multiple occasions, according to the criminal complaint. During a forensic interview conducted by First Witness Child Advocacy Center on Feb. 16, the child shared details regarding a July 10, 2021, sexual assault involving Christian inside a camper.
Christian has a scheduling conference at 3 p.m. Nov. 8. His bail remains set at $500,000.
