Cokato Man Faces Judge on Child Porn Charges, Next Hearing Set for September 4th

(KNSI) – A man charged with ten counts of possession of child pornography after getting ensnared by a citizen-run sting operation made his first appearance in Wright County District Court on Monday.

Last month, Jason Alan Dalbec was allegedly caught talking to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl on the dating app Meet4u. The 47-year-old didn’t enter a plea and argued for a bail lower than the $100,000 limit set by the judge. The Cokato man will make another appearance on September 4th to reexamine his bail and hold an omnibus hearing where lawyers can debate over legal issues, like probable cause, and potentially challenge the admissibility of evidence. The hearing helps determine if there’s enough evidence to proceed to trial and address any constitutional or evidentiary issues before trial.

According to the criminal complaint, members of Bikers Against Predators traveled to his house on July 19th, confronted Dalbec and contacted the Sheriff’s Office. The Indiana-based nonprofit says its mission is to take “action against online child predators and have them face justice.”

Investigators say they seized photos from Dalbec’s electronic devices, which showed girls who appear no older than 13 and as young as five.

___