Minnesota man accused of secretly recording child in St. Cloud, Monticello for years

A Monticello man faces four felony charges after he was accused of filming a child without their knowledge for years, according to a criminal complaint filed in Benton County court.

Matthew Richard Winter, 27, is charged with four felony counts of interference with the privacy of a minor.

According to the criminal complaint, in April a 14-year-old made a report at school that about two months ago they saw a camera in a floor vent of their bedroom. A short time later they saw a charging block plugged into a power outlet in the bedroom, took it apart and found a camera. The child said they also saw cameras in the bathroom where they shower, according to the criminal complaint.

Members of the Wright County Sheriff's Office searched the residence and Winter's cell phone. According to the criminal complaint, investigators said he admitted the phone had photos "that should not have been there," including nude photos.

Some of the images on Winter's phone dated back to 2019. The child identified four videos that were filmed in St. Cloud when they were 11 years old and were unaware they were being recorded.

The complaint said a digital memory card investigators said belongs to Winter contained more than 1 million still images of the child.

Winter had a first appearance scheduled for Tuesday.