Seven more alleged victims have emerged in the case of Bradley Schnickel, a former Minneapolis police officer accused of using social media to try to lure young girls into sexual encounters, an Anoka County prosecutor said Thursday.

That brings the number of girls accusing Schnickel, 32, of sending explicit messages and, in some cases, pictures of his genitalia via Facebook and Skype to as many as 20. Some of the girls allegedly contacted by Schnickel online were preadolescent, prosecutor Paul Young said after Schnickel's latest hearing Thursday in Anoka County District Court.

Young also said in court and after that Schnickel used police equipment to locate some of his alleged victims. He declined to elaborate.

Schnickel, who was accompanied in court by his wife, already has been charged with several felony counts of Internet solicitation of girls in Anoka County and Hennepin County. Additional charges are expected within the next two weeks, Young said.

The existing charges allege that he met a few of the girls he communicated with and had sex with one, a 14-year-old.

Thursday's hearing included a request by the defense for Schnickel to be allowed to visit his two daughters, ages 3 and 1. Anoka County District Judge James Cunningham said he would allow visits, but only at a child safety center and under the supervision of a court-appointed guardian.

Schnickel, whose last day on the Minneapolis police force was Feb. 8, has been undergoing psychiatric evaluation, said his attorney, Fred Bruno.

Five adults, some identifying themselves as parents of the alleged victims, sat through the hearing, one noticeably in tears.

Paul Levy