A man from Ohio was charged in Pope County Court in the disappearance of a 15-year-old Glenwood girl who the Pope County Sheriff’s Office says he met online.

The girl was found in St. Cloud and safely taken into custody.

On the morning of Jan. 26 the Pope County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing 15-year-old juvenile female. During the investigation officers learned the juvenile had possibly been picked up by a 22-year-old male from Ohio she had been corresponding with on social media. 

Through the help of multiple individuals, the female was located in St. Cloud several hours later. The juvenile was safely taken into custody. Upon the male finding out police were looking for the juvenile female, he fled from the area to avoid arrest and immediately left the state back to Ohio, according to a news release from the Pope County Sheriff’s Office.

Trevor Beisser, 22-years-old, from Zanesville, OH has been charged in Pope County Court with multiple felony counts including Kidnapping-to-facilitate felony or flight, possessing pornographic work, soliciting a child or believed to be a child through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct, engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct, and distribute via electronic communication material that relates/describes sexual conduct to a child. Beisser was arrested in Ohio and is awaiting extradition to Minnesota to face these charges.

Sexual exploitation of our youth and online solicitation of minors continues to be a statewide problem. The Pope County Sheriff’s Office is working diligently to address the issue within our local communities. If anyone believes a child is being solicited online for sex, they are encouraged to report it to their local law enforcement.

The Pope County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by the St. Cloud Police Department and Minnesota BCA Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.