Children’s program bus driver took photos of toddler to trade for child porn, feds say
A foster parent who worked as a seasonal bus driver for a Missouri children’s program took sexual photos of a 2-year-old girl to trade for child porn, authorities said.
Now, the 42-year-old man from Springfield has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison without parole, according to an Oct. 13 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
McClatchy News is not identifying the man to protect the identity of the child. Authorities did not provide his connection to the toddler.
Authorities said an investigation into the man began in June 2021 after the Springfield Police Department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
MeWe, a global social networking service, had reported that the man uploaded four sexual photos of a young girl, according to the probable cause statement.
Investigators executed a search warrant at the man’s home on June 16, 2021, according to court records. During an interview, the man told authorities he had “a sexual interest in children since he was in his mid-20s,” authorities said.
“(He) admitted he had participated in a chat group on MeWe where the group members traded child pornography,” prosecutors said. “(He) explained that he had no images of child pornography to trade and needed some to remain in the chat.”
The man then said he took sexually explicit photos of the 2-year-old girl to trade in the chat group, according to court records. The photos were taken at his home.
His defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Oct. 16. The man pleaded guilty on Sept. 22, 2022, to sexual exploitation of a minor.
When the man was arrested, he was employed by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board as a children’s program seasonal bus driver, authorities said. He worked the job every summer from 2014 to 2019.
The man also said he and his wife had been foster parents for the last few years, according to court records. Authorities said he previously worked as a bus driver for Springfield Public School District and an area Catholic school.
McClatchy News reached out to the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and the Springfield Public School District for comment on Oct. 16.
A spokesperson for the Springfield Public School District said the man worked for the district from Nov. 1, 2013 until he resigned Sept. 29, 2017. A Springfield-Greene County Park Board spokesperson said the man worked as a summer bus driver from 2014 to 2021.
If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.
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