Wife due in court next week

The Austin man accused of producing pornographic videos with children pleaded not guilty to his charges Thursday in Mower County court.

Anthony Edge, 34, will face a jury trial in July on one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13 and two counts of using minors in a sexual performance/pornographic work. His wife, Deborah Edge, will enter a plea for similar charges at a court hearing next week.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Austin police and Mower County deputies raided the Edges’ house on March 27. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped off the BCA earlier this month about child pornography Anthony allegedly produced on the chat website Omegle, according to a court report.

Omegle tracked the alleged video chat, which took place on a live feed on Feb. 22, and captured 26 images of an elementary age girl performing sexual acts with an adult male, according to a court complaint.

Authorities tracked the video’s IP address to the Edge home in Austin.

Police found two computers at the Edge house and a Logitech web camera, the type of camera Omegle staff believe was used to produce the video. Officers also found metal blinds in Anthony’s room, similar to those shown in the video.

According to the complaint, police also found recordings of a teenage girl showering. Officers found pinhole cameras inside the house and interviewed a victim, who was unaware she had been recorded.

Anthony previously registered as a sex offender after he was convicted in 2006 of possessing nude pictures of minors. He was originally charged in 2004 after police found about 2,300 images of child pornography on a computer he left behind at a former residence.

Anthony’s next court appearance is on June 27. His trial is set for July 7. Deborah, charged with four counts of using minors in a sexual performance/pornographic work, will appear in court on April 17.