Former deputy accused of soliciting sex from a minor now facing federal charges

ROCHESTER — A former Olmsted County deputy is facing federal charges for alleged possession, production and distribution of child sexual abuse materials, and coercion and enticement of a minor for sex.

Mathew Richard Adamson, 45, of Rochester, was indicted on April 11 in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Adamson is facing three charges of production and attempted production of child sexual abuse materials, one charge of coercion, and one charge of possession of child sexual abuse materials.

Court documents allege Adamson produced child pornography involving 12- and 13-year-old girls on multiple occasions between 2015 to 2023, including "surreptitiously recorded videos," according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Adamson is also accused of possessing sexually explicit images and videos of minors and coercing a minor girl to engage in sexual conduct with him, the news release said.

At an arraignment on Monday, April 22, Adamson pleaded not guilty and was released with conditions. Pretrial motions will be held in federal court on June 13, if needed. If not, a trial will begin on Monday, July 1, at the federal courthouse in St. Paul.

Adamson is also facing charges in Olmsted County from a sting operation where, according to court documents, he is accused of attempting to solicit sex from an undercover officer who he believed to be a minor under the age of 14. A pretrial hearing in that case is scheduled for Aug. 14 in Olmsted County District Court.

According to a Rochester Police Department search warrant, Adamson had a conversation with an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl over two days on the social media application Whisper, where, the court document says, he offered to purchase alcohol in exchange for sexual favors.

The chat logs released in the search show Adamson giving detailed instructions regarding sexual acts.

Olmsted County began the process to terminate Adamson following his initial charges in late October 2023. He was employed with the sheriff's office from 2005 to 2023.