Rochester man charged with possession of child pornography; police conduct multiple investigations

(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester man was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography this week.

Darith Chan Hin, 30, faces a single charge of possession of pornographic work featuring a minor under age 14 in Olmsted County Court.

According to court documents, Rochester police received an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) tip in June, which alleged Hin was the owner of several suspected child porn videos saved to a Verizon Wireless/Cellco account.

On July 26, Rochester police used a search warrant for Hin’s residence, person, and vehicle to seize devices that could have been used to view or save Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM), or child porn.

According to court documents, police claim they found several videos of pornography featuring female children on Hin’s cell phone. Police also claim that Hin admitted to viewing child pornography that he received from Facebook Messenger chats.

Hin appeared in Olmsted County Court Friday, July 28. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 8, 2023.

RPD also said on July 26, they seized additional cell phones, hard drives, and computers while conducting more unrelated child pornography investigations.

In addition to Hin’s residence, search warrants were also executed at the 2100 block of 51st St. NW and the 4400 block of Meadow Lakes Dr. NW.

Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin shares, “These are some of the most troubling and challenging investigations for law enforcement agencies. To ensure successful prosecutions, it is critical that we collaborate with partner agencies and adhere to proper processes and procedures.”

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) are assisting in the investigations.