Former Rochester Police Investigator Admits to Witness Tampering
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A former Rochester Police investigator has entered a petition to enter a guilty plea to a felony count of witness tampering through a plea agreement that calls for dismissing a felony criminal sexual conduct charge.
45-year-old Joshua Laber was accused of sexually touching a girl, who was under the age of 15. The victim had previously told Olmsted County Social Services that she suspected Laber was photographing or recording her while she was showering and reported finding "some sort of camera" in a bathroom after taking a shower.
The criminal complaint also says Rochester Police executed a search warrant and discovered multiple images of suspected child pornography depicting girls between 10 and 12 years old. That led to a child pornography charge against Laber that was dismissed by the court last year.
The witness tampering charge was filed after investigators learned that Laber had been communicating with the girl on social media about "changing her story." The plea agreement dismissing the felony criminal sexual conduct charge calls for Laber to receive a stayed prison sentence and probation for the witness tampering conviction.
Laber was a member of the Rochester Police Department for nine years before he resigned in 2015. He is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
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