A University of Minnesota student employee suspected of possessing child pornography tried to flee with some of the evidence before police wrestled him to the floor of his Loring Park home, federal court filings revealed.
Christopher S. Pfoff, 28, of Minneapolis, who also is a psychology student at the U, was charged this week in federal court in Minneapolis with possession of child pornography. Pfoff was jailed March 1 and remains in custody ahead of a Thursday court appearance.
The U's Psychology Department has employed Pfoff as an IT support specialist from September 2014 to August 2015 and again from April 2016 until now.
"He did not report to work on Friday," said administrator Guillermo De Paz. "That's the only thing that I know. We are working on his termination papers."
University spokesman Evan Lapiska said school officials have been aware of the charges against Pfoff and "have not yet had an opportunity to discuss his employment status with him."
The police search also turned up paperwork showing that Pfoff had been charged in Maryland in 2010 with distributing child pornography while he was attending Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Md.
He was found guilty, put on probation and the paperwork added that the case was expunged from his criminal record.
De Paz, who said his duties at the U include screening prospective employees, said he was unaware of the expunged case.
According to federal authorities, Pfoff came under suspicion when a Minneapolis police officer assigned to the FBI's white-collar crime squad used "special undercover software" to download child pornography from two IP addresses assigned to Pfoff at his apartment.
Three officers searched Pfoff's apartment, and one of them retrieved a flash drive from Pfoff's pants and placed it on the kitchen counter, along with a laptop computer and a cellphone.
Pfoff said that he wanted to leave the apartment. He filled a bottle with water and took the flash drive off the kitchen counter as he headed for the door.
One officer grabbed Pfoff, who refused orders to comply and was wrestled to the floor. Another officer helped get Pfoff in handcuffs. The flash drive was in the water bottle, which Pfoff dropped during the struggle.
The search resumed, leading to the discovery of another laptop computer above the kitchen cabinets, which contained child pornography involving girls and boys as young as 8 years old.
De Paz said it's his understanding that no university computers or cellphones that Pfoff might have had access to had child pornography on them.
Along with his IT job and studies, Pfoff also works as a personal care assistant to clients in their homes through a university program and the privately operated Mentor Network.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
