Dodge Center man arrested for child porn, solicitation

(ABC 6 News) – A Dodge Center man who was the subject of a videotaped catfishing attempt was arrested Wednesday on multiple counts of child pornography possession and solicitation.

Joseph Carlson, 30, faces 10 charges of possession of child pornography and three charges of soliciting a minor.

He was arraigned in Dodge County Court Friday, Oct. 21, and will be kept in Olmsted County’s Adult Detention Center on $250,000 bail.

Carlson was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 19, but had been the subject of an investigation for more than two months.

In August 2022, Homeland Security and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office investigated Carlson for suspected possession of child pornography.

According to a release from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant revealed 47 images and 155 videos of child pornography in Carlson’s home, as well 529 chats where Carlson had sexualized conversations with juveniles, both male and female.

On Sept. 19, a group calling themselves Midwest Predator Catchers called Dodge County law enforcement to report that they were in the middle of confronting Carlson.
The three men, including Gideon Turgeon of Sleepy Eye, MN, claimed that they had identified themselves at a 14-year-old boy and made contact with Carlson on Grindr, then set up a meeting to accused Carlson of soliciting a minor.

The group allegedly submitted text messages to Dodge County showing Carlson soliciting the “14-year-old” for sex, wherein he allegedly sent multiple photos of his face and genitals to the supposed teenager.
The men all met at North Park in Dodge Center, where they had a heated confrontation.

The group filmed the interaction and posted it on YouTube.

The YouTube video is posted here, however viewer discretion is advised for language and discussion of sexual solicitation.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that Chase Taner Johnston was charged with 5th-degree assault after the incident.

Johnston is a member of Midwest Predator Catchers.
According to court documents, Carlson was arrested after the video was filmed, and initially told law enforcement his phone had been hacked.

After law enforcement determined that there was no sign of unusual activity or hacking on Carlson’s phone, court documents state that he believed he was speaking to an 18-year-old pretending to be a minor, and would have turned the individual away if the person he spoke to on Grindr was truly a juvenile.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office stated in the press release that while Midwest Predator Catchers’ members may have had good intentions, their actions were dangerous and could have resulted in injury or death.

Additionally, some tactics used to try to entrap alleged offenders can render law enforcement unable to formally charge them.