Menahga man charged in Beltrami County with child sexual abuse material crimes

Bemidji police say a months-long investigation traced child sexual abuse material to the phone and other devices of a 35-year-old Menahga man, and Alexander Mark Rife is now facing two felony charges in Beltrami County.

Rife was charged Monday in Beltrami County District Court with disseminating child sexual abuse material and possessing child pornography on an electronic device. A detention order was signed the same day by Beltrami County District Court Judge Annie Claesson-Huseby, and Rife remains in custody as the case moves through the county’s trial court in Bemidji.

Each count carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both. The charges fall under Minnesota Statutes section 617.247, the law the Legislature adopted to protect minors from the physical and psychological damage caused by child sexual abuse material. In practical terms, the case shows how allegations that begin with a device-level investigation can quickly become a felony prosecution in local court once investigators believe they have enough evidence to file charges.

The Beltrami County District Court has original jurisdiction over criminal cases filed in the county, and its courthouse, the Beltrami County Judicial Center, is in Bemidji. That makes the case a local prosecution even though Rife is identified as a Menahga resident. It also puts Bemidji police and county court officials at the center of a digital-exploitation investigation that crossed community lines but stayed within north-central Minnesota.

No additional case details were released publicly, and no public statement from Rife, a defense attorney, prosecutors, or family members was included in the available reporting. The restraint is typical in child-exploitation cases, where investigators often limit what they disclose while preserving evidence and protecting the integrity of the case as it proceeds through Beltrami County court.