MOORHEAD - A 20-year-old Fargo man is accused of secretly recording videos and taking photos of himself sexually touching two unconscious women.
The allegations were first reported to Fargo police in February, an investigation that prompted a disorderly conduct charge - a Class B misdemeanor - to be filed in Cass County District Court on March 10 against Dalton Joseph Beyer.
After a follow-up investigation by Moorhead police, including a search warrant executed on Beyer's cellphone April 4, four felony counts of criminal sexual conduct were filed in Clay County District Court on Wednesday.
Court records state Beyer was arrested Wednesday and made an initial court appearance in Moorhead on Thursday, where bail was set at $20,000.
In the Clay County case, court records allege there was a series of photos and videos taken over a two-hour period starting at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2010, found on Beyer's cellphone.
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In the photos and videos, Beyer is shown touching and penetrating a woman in various manners, police claim in court records.
The alleged victim in the Clay County case told police she didn't consent to any sexual contact with Beyer that night.
She produced a ring that matched a ring worn by the woman shown in the photos and videos and identified herself by a tanning tattoo and a shirt worn by the woman in the photos, police claim.
In the Cass County case, police say a woman found photos on Beyer's cellphone of Beyer touching her sexually; she provided the photos to police. According to the application for the search warrant in Clay County, Beyer told Fargo police the alleged victim in the Cass County case was not aware he was taking the pictures.
The potential penalties in the cases are starkly different. In Cass County, 30 days in jail would be the longest term behind bars if Beyer is convicted of the misdemeanor offense.
If he is convicted on the most serious of the Clay County felonies, state sentencing guidelines call for at least a four-year sentence and potentially more, depending on his criminal record.
Though he has the same first and last name, Beyer is not the same man who was arrested Monday after allegedly asking police in West Fargo to give him a gas voucher to fill up a car reported as stolen.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Roepke at (701) 241-5535
