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A Faribault man with a prior conviction for electronic solicitation of a child has pleaded guilty to a similar charge.

Matthew John Enright, 24, pleaded guilty to felony engage in electronic communication relating to or describing sexual conduct with a child as part of a plea agreement on Friday in Mower County District Court. The charge was reduced from felony solicit child or person believed to be a child to engage in sexual conduct through electronic communication as part of the agreement.

Court documents state an agent of the Minnesota Department of Corrections alerted the Austin Police Department on Oct. 6 that Enright, a probationer, was attempting to solicit sex from a minor. Enright was on probation for a conviction of electronic solicitation of a child in Dodge County and was not permitted to have contact with minors or have access to internet-capable devices.

The agent said he had visited Enright the previous day at his home in Austin and asked to see his cell phone. Enright complied and the agent saw an active Snapchat account under the username “ichigosasuke.” The agent had an undercover Snapchat account and advised the APD that Enright had previously sent pictures to that account using the name “ichigosasuke.”

The agent also observed that Enright had used the account to correspond with an account of someone who identified herself as a 14-year-old female. The female had sent pictures of herself to Enright and appeared to be the age she claimed to be. The agent also observed a message from Enright in which he asked her if she wanted an explicit photo of him.

The agent seized the cell phone and turned it over to the APD. A detective determined that the conversations occurred from December 2019 through March 2020.

A detective interviewed Enright on Oct. 15 after reading him a Miranda warning. Enright said the cell phone belonged to him, but denied having any sexually explicit conversations with minors. He told the detective the conversation was likely from the phone’s previous owner, a “tweaker named Benny.” Enright indicated that he bought the phone from “Benny” seven months prior, then said he bought it in June 2020.

Enright will be sentenced on Dec. 23.