A recently unsealed federal indictment said a Deer Creek man had more than 3,000 child pornography images on his computers, which were seized in March 2008.
U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones announced the indictment, which was filed July 20 against Edward L. Andrist, 52. Andrist made his first appearance on the charge of possession of child pornography on July 26.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative to combat the growing problem of sexually exploiting children, particularly via the Internet, a news release said.
The charge follows an investigation by the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office, Bertha Police Department, FBI. The prosecutor on the case is U.S. Attorney LeeAnn K. Bell.
If convicted in federal court, Andrist could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 10 years.
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In 2003, Andrist was convicted in Otter Tail County of possessing child pornography.
