Rosemount Man Charged With Five Counts of Sexual Misconduct With A Minor

A 35-year-old Rosemount man is facing multiple charges of criminal sexual conduct for allegedly taking photos and video of an eight-year-old girl. The charges cover a four year period beginning in 2007.

According to a complaint filed by the Dakota County Attorney's office, Richard Michael Marquardt has been charged with five counts of criminal sexual misconduct in the second degree and one count of possession of pornographic work involving a minor.

On January 20, the girl reported to her mother that Marquardt had been taking pictures of her while she was going to the bathroom. She also told her mother Marquardt asked her to wear a diaper and helped her take off her clothes. Her mother then reported the incidents to Rosemount Police, who launched an investigation. Marquardt and his wife are friends with the girl's family, and had stayed overnight at their residence.

The following day, the girl was visited by a social worker who was told Marquardt took pictures and videos of her wearing a diaper. She also complained that she had asked him not to take pictures of her while she was going to the bathroom. The girl also said she had later witnessed Marquardt downloading the pictures onto his computer.

A search warrant was executed at his residence the same day, and a computer, digital camera, cell phone and associated media were seized. Marquardt was present during the search and told police he had taken a number of pictures of the girl wearing a diaper, but did not think the photos were inappropriate. Marquardt also admitted that he had been downloading images from online sites for ten to fifteen years.

Marquardt's children were removed from the residence and placed with a family member.

A later examination of the computer found numerous photos of the girl, organized by date. Several of the videos showed the girl complaining that she had to go to the bathroom. There were also numerous photos of other unidentified children, as well as images of Marquardt and his wife wearing diapers.

In a Feb. 1 follow-up interview with Rosemount police, Marquardt told the detective he was aroused by urination and diapers. He also admitted uploading a photo of the girl to an online web site.

Marquardt was subsequently arrested and is currently in jail on $150,000 bail. His first court appearance was Monday.

An omnibus hearing including all the charges is set for Feb. 28.