Authorities searched part of the Children's Museum's administrative offices in downtown St. Paul last Wednesday as part of an ongoing child porn investigation but found no evidence related to the case allegedly involving an employee, museum officials said.

According to a search warrant affidavit filed in Ramsey County District Court last week, a male systems support technician employee is under investigation for sharing four videos allegedly depicting underage girls engaged in sexual activity.

"We are cooperating fully with law enforcement," said a written statement issued by the museum Wednesday. "The employee involved has been suspended due to this allegation. This employee holds an administrative position that does not require contact with visitors."

Bob Ingrassia, the museum's vice president of external relations, said police found nothing related to the investigation.

"The museum later engaged an outside technology company to conduct an examination of the employee's computer," the museum's statement said. "This outside examination did not find any material that violated museum policies."

The employee, who has not been charged, was suspended indefinitely without pay, Ingrassia said. The Star Tribune generally does not name suspects who have not been criminally charged.

Ingrassia said the employee started working at the museum in May 2018 and passed a background check, which is required of all volunteers and staff. Court records show no convictions in Minnesota for the suspect.

According to the search warrant affidavit, a Minneapolis police officer working undercover for the Minnesota Child Exploitation Task Force was able to access four alleged child porn videos in December from an Internet Protocol address traced back to the museum employee.

The court document made no allegation about where the employee was at the time or whether any crimes allegedly occurred at his workplace. Museum officials said none of the Internet Protocol addresses listed in the affidavit as allegedly sharing child porn are associated with the museum.

The investigation was picked up by police in Apple Valley, where the suspect lives. Apple Valley police could not be immediately reached for comment.

Apple Valley police officer Tara Becker wrote in the affidavit that she wanted the employee's workplace searched because "digital media and information can be easily stored and moved between devices."

Chao Xiong • 612-270-4708

Twitter: @ChaoStrib