BUFFALO, N.Y. — The FBI is asking for the public's help on a case involving child sexual assault material.
Erik Hjemdahl-Monsen, 46, of Springville, was working as an ER nurse at Oishei Children's Hospital when he was accused of possessing and distributing sexually explicit videos of children.
The hospital has said it did not involve any patients.
According to the news release, Hjemdahl-Monsen was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession and distribution of child pornography.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison.
According to the complaint, in December 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the New York State Police about an image of child pornography that had been uploaded on the Kik application.
The NYSP began investigating and traced the image to Hjemdahl-Monsen, an Emergency Room Nurse at Oishei Children's Hospital.
On Sept. 21, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Hjemdahl-Monsen’s residence and seized 10 items. During the search, investigators found a video containing child pornography video on Hjemdahl-Monsen’s iPhone that appeared to be stored on the device since 2020.
On Sept. 29, 2023, the NYSP alerted the FBI and turned over the 10 items seized during the search warrant. A further review of Hjemdahl-Monsen’s iPhone recovered several more videos containing child pornography.
The FBI is asking anyone with specific information related to this case to call the FBI's Buffalo office at 716-843-1611.