AITKIN — A 36-year-old man formerly of Aitkin County is facing 13 felony counts of possessing and disseminating child pornography.
The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office reported Patrick Jennings Brophy has been summoned to appear in Aitkin County District Court on the charges.
Brophy now lives in Greenville, South Carolina.
Local authorities began investigating Brophy in March 2022, after a special agent from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported a pornography upload from an IP address in rural Aitkin.
A total of 33 videos of minor females were uploaded via Kik Messenger and came to the attention of law enforcement through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Brophy was detained by the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office in April 2022, after which search warrants were executed on his devices and home.
His first appearance in the courtroom is scheduled for March 18.
-
Plus: Co-owner of The Pines in Grand Rapids Kyle Lussier was nominated for a James Beard award; the Minnesota DNR will accept comment on adjusting Aitkin County's public waters through Feb. 27; and MnDOT announced more than $76 million in transportation grants.
-
Organizers say 100 clergy were arrested Jan. 23, 2026, at a morning protest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
-
The first of two Native American Heritage Nights Jan. 20, 2026, included drumming, dancing and an Ojibwe-language broadcast. The second is Jan. 30 against Grand Rapids.
-
Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander and Clearwater County Sheriff Darin Halverson recently announced they wouldn't seek reelection in 2026.
-
Plus: Nisswa City Council votes to censure Mayor Jennifer Carnahan and strip her of committee posts; and a general strike against ICE presence in Minnesota is Friday.
-
Permits are needed to visit the Boundary Waters in May through September. The Superior National Forest encourages planning your backcountry trip and only reserving permits you can use.
-
The area is located in the Rainy River Watershed, next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and contains deposits of copper, nickel and cobalt.
-
The Nisswa City Council advised its attorney in December 2025 to draft a resolution censuring Mayor Jennifer Carnahan, which passed unanimously on Jan. 20, 2026.
-
-
Citing the killing of Renee Good by federal agent Jonathan Ross, the “ICE Out” day organizers say the general strike is intended to be a day of nonviolent reflection.