Maricella Miranda, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. –
A 30-year-old man is accused of exposing his genitals to children and attempting to lure them into his vehicle at least four times this year in Farmington.
Adam Eugene Berg of Farmington was charged Thursday in Dakota County District Court with two felony counts of second-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct and two gross misdemeanor charges of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
The incidents took place between Jan. 16 and Monday, according to a Dakota County attorney’s office news release.
In the first incident, a man exposed himself to a 4-year-old boy at a park in Farmington and asked if the boy would like to touch him. The child’s mother, who was nearby, saw the man speaking to her son and approached the man. The man immediately left the park, authorities said.
In a second incident, a man in a truck exposed himself Feb. 13 to an 8-year-old girl while she was playing outside her home, according to the county attorney’s office.
The two other incidents were Monday.
At about 5 p.m., a 10-year-old girl was walking to a park when a man in a truck showed her a photo on his cellphone of a naked woman, the release said. A half-hour later, a man in a truck approached two boys, ages 9 and 12, in the driveway of their home. The man then showed the boys a picture on his cellphone of a naked woman.
The boys’ father saw his sons speaking to the man and reported the incident to police, the county attorney’s office said. The father gave police a description
of the man’s vehicle.
Police used the description to locate the truck and its owner, identified as Berg, the release said. Berg later said he exposed himself to children on at least three occasions, police said. He also said he showed children pornography he had on his cellphone.
Berg’s attorney, Kevin Sieben, said that the allegations against his client are serious and that Berg is looking forward to his day in court.
In a statement, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom called cases of this nature “extremely disturbing.”
Farmington police still are investigating to see if other children may have been victimized, Backstrom said.
Anyone with information about other incidents can contact police at 651-280-6700.
Berg remained in the county jail Thursday night. Bail was set at $30,000 with conditions, including no unsupervised contact with minors.
His next court appearance is scheduled for April 2.
According to state records, Berg does not have prior criminal convictions.
