Minnesota man pleads not guilty to sending sexual messages to undercover Winnebago County deputy posing as girl

FOREST CITY — A man accused of having sexual conversations with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but actually was a Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputy posing as an underage juvenile has pleaded not guilty.

46-year-old Brian Bauer of Nerstrand Minnesota is accused of attempting to cause a law enforcement officer or agent posing as a minor to engage in prohibited acts between February 1st and March 24th of this year. The complaint details several different alleged online conversations between the undercover deputy and Bauer discussing sexual content, which included Bauer sending photos.

Bauer was arrested on April 23rd and charged with: one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison; one count of grooming, a Class D felony; and three counts of telephone dissemination of obscene material to a minor, each an aggravated misdemeanor.

Bauer on Tuesday filed a not guilty plea to the charges and demanded a speedy trial. District Judge Chris Foy set his trial to start on June 18th in Winnebago County District Court.