Man In Custody Following Investigation Into Solicitation Of A Minor

BARRON COUNTY — A 43-year-old man is in custody after authorities received a complaint from a parent of a Cumberland School District student regarding an attempt to solicit their child, according to a press release from the Cumberland Police Department

Press Release

On 10/20/2022 the Cumberland Police Department received a complaint from a parent of a Cumberland School District student advising that their child had been given a phone number from a subject believed to be in their 40’s and felt that it was an attempt to solicit their child. Upon receiving this information, the Cumberland Police Department immediately began an undercover investigation into the matter.

Over the course of the next 7 days the Cumberland Police Department chatted with the subject posing as a 15-year-old and exchanged over 940 text messages.

At the start of the investigation, Officers identified the male and learned he was 43-year-old, registered sex offender, Michael D Keller.

Throughout the conversations, the subject stated multiple times that he wished to be in a relationship with the juvenile but at no time ever mentioned or suggested any sexual contact between the two.

On two separate occasions the subject drove to the City of Cumberland to meet with what he thought was a 15-year-old. On the second attempt to meet with the juvenile, which occurred 10/27/2022, Michael Keller was immediately taken into custody on Cumberland School District property. Michael Keller is currently being held in the Barron County Jail awaiting formal charges from the Barron County District Attorney’s Office.

The Cumberland Police Department has referred the following charges for Keller:

• 1 count of a Sex Offender Registry Violation
• 3 counts of Felony Bail Jumping
• 2 counts of Misdemeanor Bail Jumping

The Cumberland Police Department was assisted by the Barron County Sheriff’s Department during the arrest.

The Cumberland Police Department takes protecting the community’s youth very seriously. In order to accomplish this, we regularly investigate these complaints and conduct undercover child solicitation operations in order to deter perpetrators from coming to Cumberland to victimize our youth.

-- Per Chief Heather Wolfe, Cumberland Police Department