27 October 2023
CARLTON A Mahtowa man jailed since June on child pornography allegations has now been charged with sexually abusing a young child.
Ricky Onefeather Tobolaski, 21, was arraigned Thursday in State District Court on a count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was first charged June 16 with two counts of possessing child pornography.
A criminal complaint says the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Tobolaski had abused the girl several years ago, when she was approximately 7 years old. The child was previously known to Tobolaski and he was babysitting at the time.
The alleged victim stated in a forensic interview that Tobolaski pulled down her pants and engaged in oral sex. She said Tobolaski went on to sleep in her bed, according to the complaint.
The child reportedly added that she was worried the defendant “may do the same thing” to another minor.
Investigators used corroborating details to narrow the timeline and confirmed Tobolaski had watched the alleged victim that night. He denied any sexual abuse, the complaint states.
Tobolaski was 16 years old at the time of the alleged offense. However, he is charged as an adult, as the juvenile court loses jurisdiction after the defendant’s 21st birthday.
Investigations into Tobolaski first began in January, when the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension sent a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to the sheriff’s office. The tip indicated that a Snapchat account uploaded two images of alleged child sexual abuse in June 2022.
Data from Snapchat showed the account was connected to Tobolaski’s email account, according to the complaint in that case. The BCA served Snapchat and Google subpoenas to obtain more information on the subscriber and received Tobolaski’s name, phone number, IP log and mailing address.
Judge Amy Lukasavitz on Thursday kept Tobolaski’s bail at $100,000 or $10,000 cash, as first ordered in June. His next court appearance was scheduled for Nov. 6.
]]>