Former Assistant Principal Pleads Guilty to Child Porn

BEMIDJI (AP) - A former middle school principal in Bemidji has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges.

Prosecutors say Brandon Bjerknes used social media to convince dozens of girls to send him sexually explicit photos by posing as a 14-year-old boy on Facebook and Snapchat.

Authorities say Bjerknes tried reaching out to dozens of minors, some as young as 12, including students at his own school. Bjerknes has pleaded guilty to coercion of a minor and production of child pornography.