Thief River Falls Man Gets 10 Years for Sexual Assault

Thief River Falls (trfnews.i234.me) — Joshua Lee Whitlow, 53, was sentenced Aug. 19 in Pennington County District Court.

Whitlow was sentenced for felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct and four gross misdemeanor privacy offenses.

He received 120 months in prison for the felony conviction.

Whitlow received credit for 37 days already served.

Court records show the sentence was a downward durational departure.

The presumptive prison term was 144 months.

Four Privacy Offenses Also Sentenced

Whitlow also received sentences for four counts of interference with privacy.

Each count carried a 364-day jail sentence.

Those sentences will run at the same time as the felony sentence.

Whitlow also received 37 days of credit on those sentences.

He was ordered to pay $210 in fines and fees.

Minnesota law prohibits certain secret recordings where people expect privacy.

Joshua Lee Whitlow

The investigation began after Whitlow’s then-fiancée reported hidden cameras in April 2023.

She had found cameras in the living room and bathroom five days earlier.

The woman later checked Whitlow’s computer, according to the complaint.

She found numerous nude images and videos of herself.

The images were allegedly recorded without her knowledge.

Some recordings showed the woman before and after showering.

Others showed her changing clothes, pumping breast milk, or using a tanning bed.

She also discovered recordings involving sexual activity, according to the complaint.

The woman documented the files with her phone before deleting them.

Authorities later obtained a search warrant for Whitlow’s home.

Investigators seized electronic devices and located wiring connected to a bathroom vent.

Whitlow admitted installing cameras in private areas, according to the complaint.

Investigators later reported finding 1,343 images and 215 videos of concern.

Many depicted the woman and came from several recording devices.

Investigators dated some images between June 2021 and July 2022.

Two other felony charges were dismissed in the case.

They were second-degree assault and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Those dismissed charges did not result in convictions.

Whitlow previously served on the Thief River Falls School Board from 2008 through 2012.

Minnesota Statute 609.342 covers first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Information about the court is available from Pennington County District Court.

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News.