Barnes County Man to Change Plea in Child Exploitation Case
BARNES COUNTY, ND ( trfnews.i234.me ) — A Barnes County man charged with multiple felony counts of possessing prohibited materials is scheduled to change his plea later this month, according to court records.
Mitchell Kohler, who previously pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of possession of certain materials prohibited, is now set for a plea change hearing on October 20 at 9:00 a.m. in Barnes County District Court. A jury trial had originally been scheduled to begin the following day, on October 21.
Court documents show that Kohler was arrested after Apple Inc. reported suspected child sexual abuse material discovered on one of his accounts in March 2024. Following that report, authorities obtained a search warrant and executed it in April 2025.
Investigators allegedly found hundreds of files on Kohler’s electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material, including images and videos of girls between the ages of 8 and 14. The materials reportedly included both existing files and media created using artificial intelligence technology.
According to the criminal complaint, Kohler admitted to investigators that he used AI tools to generate nude photos and videos of teenage girls from his own community. He said he located their images on social media platforms such as Instagram before altering them.
Kohler remains charged with five felony counts of possession of certain prohibited materials. The upcoming plea hearing will determine whether he changes his plea from not guilty to guilty as part of a potential plea agreement.
For information about online safety and reporting child exploitation, visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children CyberTipline or contact the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
