Joel Ray Allard
Joel Ray Allard, 37, Grand Portage, arrested on September 5, 2012 for alleged sexual contact or attempted contact with minor females, sexual predatory behavior and inappropriate photographs of a sexual nature involving minor females, has entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court for one count of production of child pornography.
Allard’s arrest came after a young girl told her parents that Allard had invited her and a friend into his bedroom where he worked on computers and then touched her inappropriately and pulled her clothing off to take pictures without her consent. After two other families with young girls came forward with similar allegations, Allard was charged with two counts of felony criminal sexual predatory conduct, two counts of felony conduct, two counts of felony false imprisonment, two counts of gross misdemeanor criminal sexual conduct and one count of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree. The charges involved three girls under the age of 13.
He was incarcerated in Minnesota’s Sixth District as the investigation unfolded, however on January 24, 2013, federal investigators took over the case.
On August 12, 2013 Allard was indicted by a U.S. grand jury on one count of production of child pornography. According to the indictment, Allard “did knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice and coerce [Jane Doe], a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct….”
On August 21, 2013, Allard was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Duluth and entered a plea of not guilty and a trial was set for November 4, 2013 in St. Paul.
Douglas Olson of the Office for the Federal Defender was appointed to serve as his attorney on August 22. An order of detention placed Allard in federal custody on August 26, 2013.
The November 4 jury trial did not take place. Leading up to that date, there were numerous motions and cross-motions filed by Allard’s attorney and prosecutor David Steinkamp of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. On October 10, 2013, Allard, through his attorney, withdrew his pretrial motions and instead asked to schedule a change of plea hearing. On November 22, 2013, Allard appeared before Judge Richard Kyle in St. Paul and entered a plea of guilty to the count of production of child pornography.
With a guilty plea, the right to a jury trial is waived. According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson, the matter is now referred to the U.S. Probation Office, which reviews the charges, criminal history of the defendant, and any other factors to see where the defendant falls within the sentencing guidelines. The analysis could take several months.
Allard faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum of 30 years, followed by a supervised release term of at least five years; a fine of up to $250,000; and payment of mandatory restitution in an amount to be determined by the court.
The federal charges take precedence in the case, however Cook County Assistant County Attorney Molly Hicken said the state could continue its case once the federal case is resolved.
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