Trooper charged with sending himself nude photos from woman’s phone makes first court appearance

A trooper with the Minnesota State Patrol who is accused of texting himself nude photos from the phone of a woman he arrested in March made his first court appearance on Monday.

Albert Kuehne, 36, of Dayton has not entered a plea to felony stalking charges and did not respond to questions as he arrived at the Hennepin County Government Center with his wife.

In court, the judge denied a defense to return the trooper’s personal cell phone. Prosecutors argued the phone is still evidence in an active case.

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Last month, Kuehne’s attorney Fred Bruno filed additional motions asking the court to dismiss all charges and to suppress statements the trooper made to a commanding officer, as well as evidence found on Kuehne’s phone. The defense argues investigators forcibly seized the phone from the trooper without a warrant.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November with a trial date tentatively set for January 2021.

At last check, the Minnesota State Patrol said Kuehne was still on "investigatory leave."