Jemery Plonski's mugshot. (FOX 9)
(FOX 9) - A former Minnesota state trooper charged in a horrific sexual abuse case last spring has now pleaded guilty to federal charges of making child porn.
Trooper pleads guilty
What we know:
Court records filed Wednesday show Jeremy Plonski pleaded guilty to a count of producing child porn and a count of distributing child porn.
As part of the plea, two other counts against Plonski are slated to be dismissed at sentencing.
What's next:
A sentencing date has not yet been set for the case.
Local perspective:
At the same time, Plonski is still facing charges in a state case for criminal sexual conduct against a child. That case has been dormant as the federal case has played out.
Trooper charged in ‘horrific’ abuse case
The backstory:
After federal charges against Plonksi came down in early May, authorities in Scott County charged him with first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
FBI agents say they identified Plonski as a suspect as they investigated the child porn case in April. According to the state charges, a video showed Plonski sexually abusing an infant.
Plonski allegedly shared the video with a person on social media site Kik in 2022. Investigators said Plonksi was the "submissive" in a submissive/dominant relationship and the dominant had ordered him to perform sexual acts on the baby. According to the criminal complaint, Plonski admitted to sending "four or five" videos to the Kik user.
Dig deeper:
Prior to his arrest, Plonski was a Minnesota State Trooper and a member of the Minnesota National Guard. The Department of Public Safety said they were shocked by the charges against one of its troopers but said they would work to hold him accountable.
"The crimes alleged are horrifying," BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said. "This child endured unimaginable sexual abuse. We will continue our dogged pursuit of any criminal who preys on our children — our most vulnerable residents."
The Source: This story uses previous FOX 9 reporting and information from court records.