On September 28, 2025, Officer Brandau of the Rochester Police Department spoke with Victim (adult female identified in police reports). Victim reported that her ex-boyfriend, JAMES BYARS [DOB REDACTED] sent explicit images and a video of her to Witness 1 (adult male identified in police reports). Victim did not give permission to send the explicit images and videos to anyone. Victim [NAME REDACTED] in a relationship together about a year prior, which is when the pictures and video were taken. Victim provided Byars phone number and said she blocked him, but then he started to message her from other numbers.
At the time of the offense, Victim [NAME REDACTED], MN, Olmsted County. Witness 1 stated that he had received explicit photos of Victim from a phone number that had been repeatedly calling him and hanging up. The photos and images were uploaded and it was observed that some of Victim's facial features were visible. Messages were also uploaded from a 612 phone number. Victim believed Byars to be using that number. The messages threatened to contact her employer and advise they drug test her. Another message said "for what you said, imma text [Witness 1] everything, let him know what you really are." Within the message, the sender identified themselves as "James". There were other messages from a 309 phone number which Victim knew to be Byars and is also associated with him through law enforcement systems.
Witness 1 knew that the photos and video were of Victim [NAME REDACTED]. Byars told Det. See that he and Victim had an argument and Victim sent some of the photos to his girlfriend. Byars admitted that the video was of him performing oral sex on Victim. When asked for Byars girlfriends information, Byars refused to provide it. Byars then said Victim [NAME REDACTED] could send the images and video to Witness 1. Byars said he had messages showing that Victim told him to send the images, but he never provided them.
In one of the photos, Victim's breasts are exposed while she is facetiming someone. In another, Victim is lying down with her buttocks exposed. The video is of Byars performing oral sex on Victim. These messages were sent beginning on September 21, 2025. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: YOU MUST APPEAR FOR EVERY COURT HEARING REGARDING THIS CASE. FAILURE TO APPEAR FOR COURT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE AND MAY RESULT IN ADDITIONAL CRIMINAL CHARGES BEING IMPOSED AND PUNISHED AS PROVIDED IN MINNESOTA STATUTES SECTION 609.49.
