ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ A former assistant principal at Bemidji Middle School
has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.

Thirty-five-year-old Brandon Mark Bjerknes of Bemidji also admitted Thursday in
U.S. District Court to a second count of coercion and enticement of a minor.

Prosecutors say that while assistant principal, Bjerknes posed as a teenage boy
and used social media to contact girls and boys in middle and high school and
direct them to send him explicit photos. He also engaged in sexually explicit
conversations.

Authorities say Bjerknes contacted more than 50 victims; some were students
Bemidji Middle School.

Bjerknes was assistant principal there for three years before resigning in
April.

His attorney, Peter Wold, says his client took full responsibility and is
getting psychological help. Wold says Bjerknes faces at least 15 years in
prison.

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