All charges dismissed in child pornography case against former MCSO deputy
M.K. French
Farmer Staff Writer
In a surprising turn of events, a judge has dismissed all 44 counts of child pornography against Daniel Christensen, a former McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputy. The decision, which has raised questions within the community, was based on constitutional arguments related to unlawful searches of digital data.
Christensen was initially charged in December 2024, following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). Investigators with the BCI received a “Cybertip” for an account with Synchronoss Technologies, which was linked to Christensen. A subsequent search of his residence in Alexander, N.D., reportedly led to the discovery of 48 items of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) within his Synchronoss account. The images allegedly depicted prepubescent youth and included some that were digitally altered.
The charges, however, were dismissed by the court. While State’s Attorney Nathan Madden declined The Farmer’s request for comment, Christensen’s attorney, Christopher Redmann, provided extensive details on the legal reasoning behind the dismissal.
“This case represents a win for our individual right of privacy against unauthorized rummaging by the police through our virtual lives,” Redmann stated. He argued that electronic service providers (ESPs) and law enforcement have been engaged in “roving intelligence gathering” by scanning private files in “the cloud” before obtaining a proper, specific warrant.
Redmann explained that the warrant executed by the BCI was “unconstitutional, illegal,” and amounted to a “general” or “rummaging” warrant, which is prohibited by the Fourth Amendment. He emphasized, “The 4th amendment requires that a warrant particularly describe the places to be searched and things to be seized, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation did neither in this case.”
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