Former Mille Lacs County Reserve Officer Arrested, Charged in Child Pornography Case

MILLE LACS COUNTY, Minn. — A former Mille Lacs County reserve police officer is in custody and accused of distributing child pornography.

Tyler Pettit, a 28-year-old man from the Isle of Man, was charged last week with four counts of distributing pornographic material involving a minor under the age of 14.

An investigation began when the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office received a tip in May from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Snapchat had reported that a user with an email address associated with Pettit had sent child sexual abuse material to another user, according to charging documents.

After authorities executed a search warrant, they discovered that the account linked to Pettit had uploaded more child sexual abuse material to another user who said he was 14 years old, the criminal complaint states.

Pettit reported his various social media accounts and email addresses to officials, the complaint said. The email addresses were linked to the Snapchat account that was linked to the child sexual abuse material, documents said.

Reserve officers, said Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton, are non-sworn volunteers who assist law enforcement during special events such as parades. They undergo a full background check and training process.

Burton added that Pettit had previously worked in a group home and had undergone a thorough background check. Charging documents stated that there were children living in the group home, and professional photographs of some of the children were found on Pettit’s phone.

Once he heard about the tip, Burton said he placed Pettit on administrative leave and confiscated his equipment. He then contacted Isanti County officials to launch a criminal investigation.

Burton said he arrested Pettit himself in Isle and took him to jail.

“I felt it was important that that came from me, that I as sheriff would hold you accountable,” Burton said.

If you know of a child who may have been exploited, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.