An Ellsworth man has been charged with more than 30 felony counts of child pornography.

Nathaniel S. Barnett, 26, was ordered to pay $500 cash bond July 28 in Pierce County Circuit Court on 31 felony possession of child pornography charges, along with singular counts of felony possess with intent – THC and possess drug paraphernalia. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and/or fines up to $100,000.

According to the complaint:

A cyber tip reported three IP addresses registered to Barnett indicated he had imagery depicting suspected child sex assaults with the children ranging in age from 3-15 years old. The saved material included hundreds of pornographic videos, with at least one showing the sexual assault of an infant.

On Jan. 30, 2024, River Falls Police Department and Pierce County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant for possession of child sex abuse materials at 416 Cemetery Road Unit 1 in River Falls. Barnett answered the door and police detained him in handcuffs. Officers seized multiple electronic devices and more than 544 grams of marijuana, along with drug paraphernalia and cocaine residue.

Barnett admitted to using the suspected email address years ago, but claimed it had been hacked. He also said he’d used Dropbox in high school and shook his head when asked if it had been used to upload child porn. He then asked for an attorney, so questioning ceased. He later told officers he never wanted to get arrested or go to jail and wanted to be the first in his family to “never do that.”

His next court appearance is a status conference scheduled for 11;45 a.m. Sept. 11.