Rochester man pleads guilty to soliciting a child

Rochester man pleads guilty to soliciting a child

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(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester man pleaded guilty to soliciting a child in exchange for up to five years of probation and 20 days in jail.

Steven Joseph Wolfe, 54, entered a guilty plea to one charge of soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct on Friday, Feb. 9.

A second charge of 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child will be dismissed at sentencing, according to his plea agreement.

According to court documents, Wolfe was originally charged with soliciting a child in May of 2023, after a child told law enforcement that Wolfe had propositioned him in 2021, when the child was about 12 years old.

In August of 2023, the prosecution filed a motion to include information about an unknown incident in Florida involving Wolfe and the child, and “the defendant’s history of inappropriate behaviors toward the alleged victim as described in the police reports” in the Minnesota court case.

Wolfe was charged with the count of 2nd-degree criminal sexual conduct on Feb. 5, 2024, after the child allegedly told law enforcement Wolfe had molested him during the incident he described previously.

According to Wolfe’s plea agreement, he has no prior convictions, meaning the felony charge of soliciting a child calls for a “presumptively stayed sentence of 15 months.”

According to the plea agreement, the court agreed to sentence Wolfe to up to 5 years of probation, 20 days in jail to be served with work release, and following recommendations after a psycho-sexual evaluation, including sex offender treatment if ordered.

Wolfe’s sentencing is scheduled for April 11, 2024.