Thief River Falls, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – A Thief River Falls man was sentenced Tuesday, May 28, in Pennington County District Court for possessing child pornography.
Michael Keith Wilburn, 61, received sentences for two felony offenses of possession of pornographic work involving a computer disk/electronic/magnetic/optical image and one felony offense of possession of pornographic work involving minors under 14. Three additional felony charges for possession of child pornography were dismissed.
For the first offense, Wilburn was sentenced to 15 months in prison, stayed for five years. He must serve five years of supervised probation, register as a predatory offender, avoid possessing or using pornographic/sexually explicit material, refrain from social media access, and obtain approval for internet use. He must also provide a DNA sample, avoid firearms or explosives, and pay $210 in fees and fines.
For the second offense, Wilburn was ordered to serve 20 months in prison, stayed for five years, and an additional five years of supervised probation. He must also pay a $50 fee. The same conditions apply as in the first offense.
For the third charge, Wilburn was sentenced to 48 months in prison, stayed for five years, along with five years of supervised probation and another $50 fee.
The charges stemmed from a January 29 search of Wilburn’s cell phone, where investigators found images believed to be child pornography. Further investigation revealed multiple pornographic websites visited from January 22 to January 25.
Wilburn claimed he had lost his phone and found it later in a parking lot, denying knowledge of using the internet on his phone or viewing child pornography. However, the browser history contradicted his claims.