School Cop In Cottage Grove Asked Girl To 'Send Nudes': Complaint

COTTAGE GROVE, MN — A former school resource officer accused of sexually abusing multiple students had asked a 17-year-old girl at one point for nude photos over social media, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case.

Adam Gentile Pelton, 40, has been charged with three counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct.

Seven students claimed that between Sept. 1, 2018, and Oct. 4, 2019, Pelton repeatedly initiated hugs with them during which he would touch their buttocks over their clothing, police said.

In May 2019, a 17-year-old girl also said she received "two to three" requests from Pelton over Snapchat to "send nudes," the complaint states. The teen never complied with the request, police said.

Later, when law enforcement interviewed Pelton about asking the girl for nude photos, he said he did it "as a joke," according to the complaint.

He said the request happened after the girl had graduated from Park High School, police said. When Pelton was told that the girl was 17 at the time, he "did not respond," the complaint states.

Read more of Patch's coverage of this case here.