Isanti police officer charged for sending sexual image to a 13-year-old

The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) announced on Tuesday that 31-year-old Nicholas Martell, an Isanti police officer currently on leave, has officially been charged after being accused of sending a sexually explicit photo to a minor.

Martell was formally charged with one count of electronically distributing material that relates/describes sexual conduct to a child. He is currently in custody at the Anoka County Jail.

If found guilty, the charge carries up to five years in jail and/or a $3,000 to $10,000 penalty.

According to documents provided by the ACSO, law enforcement was contacted by the father of a 14-year-old child on Saturday.

The father said a friend of his, identified as Martell, had sent a sexually explicit image of himself through Snapchat to his child, on July 27. According to the documents, Martell was aware that he was sending the photo to the child and that they were 13 at the time of the incident.

An interview was performed with the child, in which law enforcement said Martell had asked the child if they wanted to “see it” and sent a photo of his genitalia and later asking if they “liked it.”

The next day, Martell reportedly apologized for sending the photo and asked the child not to tell anyone, to which the child informed him that one of their friends had seen it.

Martell then asked to call the child when they were alone, but a friend of the child secretly recorded the call.

According to documents, when Martell called he asked the child if they were alone and asked them to tell their friend it was “different Nick” and stated he could go to prison.

The child then ended the phone call, claiming their sibling was coming upstairs. Martell later messaged the child asking when they could talk again.

Law enforcement said they are forensically examining both cell phones and are awaiting warrant returns from Snapchat.

However, the documents state that based on what was presently available to them, it was “clear” that communication between Martell and the child was more extensive than initially disclosed to law enforcement, possibly spanning months before the incident as well as the day the photo was sent.

An Isanti city official told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Martell was hired as a police officer in February 2023 and has no previous disciplinary action on his record.