MANKATO - Two felony child pornography counts were filed against the head football coach at Minnesota State University, Mankato, on Wednesday.
Todd Hoffner, 46, of Eagle Lake, was charged after videos of nude children dancing were found on Hoffner's school-issued cellphone by a university IT professional, who reported it to school officials.
In the videos, three children, ages 9, 8 and 5, are shown naked or partly clothed. In one video, all three drop towels covering their bodies and jump around, while an 8-year-old boy fondles himself and the two girls bend over and spread their buttocks. In the second video, the girls are dancing naked and the boy enters naked, wearing only a football helmet. In the third video, one of the girls is shown being awakened in bed and told by a male voice "to go potty" before she is followed to the bathroom in her underwear with the camera focused on her buttocks.
On Wednesday, Hoffner, in an orange prisoner's jump suit, sat quietly in Blue Earth County District Court as he was charged with using minors in a sexual performance or pornographic work and possessing pornography involving minors. Both are felonies.
As the coach was escorted by deputies from the courtroom immediately after the hearing, his wife and attorney headed to a private conference room without speaking to the news media.
Prosecuting attorney Michael Hanson, who argued in court that Hoffner shouldn't be allowed to have contact with his three children -- who were shown in the videos -- also declined to discuss the case.
Minutes later, as Hoffner's attorney walked hurriedly from the courthouse, he scoffed at the charges and said the videos weren't evidence of criminal activity. "There's nothing in there," said Jim Fleming. "There's nothing in that video that is descriptive, graphic, abusive or exploitative."
Fleming argued in court that the images at issue "could be seen as something completely different than what they are assuming."
