A registered predatory offender with prior criminal sexual conduct convictions was charged with possessing child sexual abuse material after a tip from Google flagged images uploaded to his account, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County.
Darius DeJohn Buckhalton, 42 faces two felony counts of possessing child sexual abuse material — one as a registered predatory offender and one involving a minor under 14 — along with a felony count of violating predatory offender registration requirements.
According to the complaint, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension received a cyber tip on Oct. 2, 2025, forwarded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Google had flagged six files of suspected child sexual abuse material uploaded to its photos platform between July 23 and Aug. 7, 2025. Google provided the suspect’s name, phone number and associated email accounts. BCA agents identified Buckhalton as the account holder and traced the IP address to a Minneapolis residence in Hennepin County.
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Investigators reviewed the six images and determined they depicted young female children in sexual positions. Four of the images focused on exposed genitals and met the statutory definition of pornographic work involving minors.
Law enforcement arrested Buckhalton on April 3. In a post-Miranda statement, he denied downloading or saving any child sexual abuse material but acknowledged the Google accounts were his. He said other people had access to his devices and account but could not identify anyone specifically. Buckhalton told police he downloaded adult pornography from websites and said there would be “weird sh*t” on his phone but not child sexual abuse material.
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Buckhalton is a level 2 predatory offender because of a 2005 felony conviction for first-degree criminal sexual conduct and a 2000 felony conviction for third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
The registration violation charge stems from Buckhalton’s failure to report addresses where he stayed. He told investigators he had been staying overnight for weeks at a time with his girlfriend in Stevens Point, Wisc., but never reported that address. He also failed to report another Saint Paul address where he had been living. His last reported primary address was in Minneapolis.
Buckhalton remains in custody.
