Two Stearns County Men Charged With Prostitution Involving Teen Boy
ST. CLOUD -- Two men are charged with prostitution involving a 15-year-old boy from Cold Spring.
According to the criminal complaints, 59-year-old Joseph Burton of Cold Spring and 55-year-old Kenneth Vilter of St. Cloud paid the boy on separate occasions to perform oral sex on them.
Records show the boy placed ads in the "casual encounter" section on craigslist and met the men at a Cold Spring Park on separate occasions in May. Burton is accused of paying the boy $160 for the sex act, while Vilter allegedly paid $300.
Law enforcement pulled data from the boy's cell phone and iPad and found numerous sexually explicit photos involving the boy and other individuals.
Records show Burton was interviewed and ultimately admitted to authorities he had the encounter with the boy but said the money was to help him with school.
Vilter initially agreed to talk with police, but when asked about his email account allegedly used to exchange sexually explicit conversations, he asked for a lawyer.
Both men face a charge of engaging in prostitution with someone 13-to-15 years-old.