Fired Minnesota trooper gets probation for texting nude photos from driver's phone to his own

He sent nude photos from driver's phone to his own.

August 3, 2021 at 1:37PM
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Albert Kuehne (Minnesota State Patrol/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A Hennepin County judge sentenced a former state trooper to two years of probation for taking a woman's cellphone at a crash scene in Minneapolis and texting nude or partly nude photos of the woman to his own phone.

Albert Kuehne, 37, of Dayton, was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court last week after pleading guilty to nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images, a gross misdemeanor. A felony count of harassment was dismissed.

Judge Lisa Janzen put Kuehne on probation for two years and ordered him to perform 10 days of community service.

On March 25, 2020, Kuehne responded on Interstate 94 near Cedar Avenue to a single-vehicle crash involving a 25-year-old driver, according to the charges. Kuehne detained her on suspicion of drunken driving. She was taken to a hospital, treated and released.

When she returned home, her boyfriend was using her laptop computer, which is linked to her cellphone. The laptop records showed that her phone was accessed and nude photos of her were texted from it to an unknown phone.

Her boyfriend called the number for the unknown phone, and the person who answered identified himself as Kuehne. Using a search warrant, investigators seized his phone and found three photos of the woman, according to the complaint.

The State Patrol fired Kuehne on Oct. 2, 2020, in connection with his actions. Also, he is no longer licensed to serve in law enforcement, according to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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