Man Arrested in Stearns County Child Solicitation Sting

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A Twin Cities man is the latest to be caught in an undercover child solicitation sting in Stearns County.

Members of the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force were acting as a 14-year-old girl in an online chatroom known for the solicitation of children.

According to the charges, 66-year-old Mark Johanek began chatting with the undercover officer in the fall of 2022. Over the course of several months court records allege Johanek's conversations were sexually explicit and very graphic.

Officers say the crimes were committed between October of last year and August 24 of this year.

Johanek was arrested on October 4th at his Columbia Heights home.

Johanek is due in Stearns County District Court on October 16th to face a charge of engaging in electronic communication to describe sexual conduct with a child.

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