(WNY News Now) – A 46year-old of Springville, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession and distribution of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison.
BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Erik Hjemdahl-Monsen, 46, of Springville, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession and distribution of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in December 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) alerted the New York State Police about an image of child pornography that had been uploaded on the Kik application. The NYSP began investigating and traced the image to Hjemdahl-Monsen, an Emergency Room Nurse at Oishei Children’s Hospital. On Sept. 21, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Hjemdahl-Monsen’s residence and seized 10 items. During the search, investigators allegedly found a video containing child pornography video on Hjemdahl-Monsen’s iPhone that appeared to be stored on the device since 2020. On Sept. 29, 2023, the NYSP alerted the FBI and turned over the 10 items seized during the search warrant. A further review of Hjemdahl-Monsen’s iPhone recovered several more videos allegedly containing child pornography.
Hjemdahl-Monsen made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was held pending a detention hearing on October 5, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.
Leave a Reply