MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis daycare worker is accused of having child pornography on his phone.

Eric P. Allen of Minneapolis was charged last Thursday with three counts of possession of child pornography and one count of invasion of privacy of a minor. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine and conditional release.

On April 27, 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip about a cell phone containing more than 500 files of child sexual abuse material.

On June 11, 2023, a subpoena was issued for the phone number, identifying the authorized user as Eric Phillip Allen.

On March 25, a special agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reviewed the phone and discovered videos that showed a man sexually assaulting girls as young as 6, the criminal complaint states.

The phone also contained selfies of Allen, police said.

On August 5, special agents executed a search warrant for Allen’s home on Harriet Avenue in Minneapolis.

Allen told agents he was employed at a church daycare center in Minneapolis and had worked there for over a year, police said.

According to investigators, all the children’s pictures on his phone were the result of viruses.

When Allen was asked about the children’s ages, he paused and finally said, “10 to 15 years old and just naked – no penetration,” the criminal complaint states.

Alle later admitted he had pictures of girls from the daycare on his phone, gave their names and said they were taken while they were in the bathroom, the criminal complaint said. He also admitted he was “interested in young girls,” authorities said.