Seven months after being arrested while working at United Hospital District in Blue Earth, a rural Blue Earth man facing two felonies had a plea hearing held on Monday, April 28.
Early last month, 38-year-old James Andrew Wenkheimer was charged with felony possession of pornographic work of a minor under age 14.
Last November, Wenkheimer was charged with felony second-degree possession of 50 grams or 100 dose units of amphetamine/PCP/hallucinogens and gross misdemeanor possession of ammunition/firearms by user of a controlled substance.
Wenkheimer pleaded guilty to the felony charges during the hearing held in Faribault County District Court before Judge Troy Timmerman.
The charges stem from an investigation that began on Sept. 14, 2024, when deputy Chris Albers received a USB drive sent by certified mail to the Blue Earth Police Department from the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
According to the criminal complaint, the USB drive contained six videos of which five were of child pornography.
A social platform gathered and flagged the videos of young males ages 8 to 10 and females 10 to 12 years old and sent them to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in June 2024.
BCA investigators determined the social platform and IP address identified the suspect’s address was in rural Blue Earth where Wenkheimer lived.
Wenkheimer reportedly used his cell phone to upload and store images and videos, court documents say.
Authorities obtained a search warrant to track Wenkheimer’s phone and it showed UHD as the location where his vehicle was parked in the northeast employees parking lot.
On Oct. 2, 2024, deputy Chris Albers and BCA special agent Kevin Waterstreet interviewed Wenkheimer at UHD before he was handcuffed and transported to the Faribault County Jail, where he was booked and released.
Authorities continued their investigation by going to Wenkheimer’s residence and seized psilocybin mushrooms, 13 firearms and ammunition, the complaint says.
The maximum penalty for the second-degree drug charge is 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, while the pornographic charge is 10 years and a $10,000 fine.
Timmerman has ordered a pre-sentence investigation and psychosexual evaluation be completed for a sentencing hearing scheduled on July 28.