A Joplin man pleaded guilty in U. S. District Court in Springfield today to a charge of enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit activity.
A pre-sentence investigation was ordered for Gary Stewart, 37, and sentencing will be held at a later date.
A federal grand jury indicted Stewart, who was already facing three felony statutory rape charges in Jasper County Circuit Court, in April.
Stewart's crimes were described in his plea agreement:
On December 29, 2016, Jane Doe was interviewed at the Children’s Center
in Joplin by forensic interviewer Tiffany Bogardus.
During the course of the
interview, Jane Doe informed the interviewer that she and STEWART
communicated via text messages transmitted with her iPhone and ZTE981 cellular
telephones.
During these text exchanges, STEWART asked Jane Doe to produce
and transmit sexually explicit images of herself. Jane Doe complied with these
requests, and produced and transmitted sexually explicit images of herself, taken at
STEWART’s direction, to STEWART via text messaging. The photographs were
taken using the aforementioned cellular telephones, both of which were
manufactured outside the state of Missouri.
The investigators were able to seize and examine both cell phones utilized
by Jane Doe to communicate with STEWART. A forensic examination detailed
numerous text messages sent between Jane Doe and STEWART discussing sexual
activity.
Several sexually explicit photographs of Jane Doe were also recovered
from the telephones. Photographs of STEWART posing naked were also located
on the phone.
On January 26, 2017, Joplin Police Detective Jason Hutchins made contact
with STEWART at the Jasper County Detention Center with regard to a separate
investigation. STEWART admitted having been involved in a sexual relationship
with Jane Doe
2 comments:
Thanks to electronic media, predators can more easily stalk children.
Thabks to electronic media, we also now have evidence to prosecute the sick-o's.
Parents please monitor your children's phones, tablets, computers & all media accounts.
Educate them about all the ways that people might take advantage of them.
You only get one chance to raise your child, do the best that you can. Remain vigilant, you are their protector.
Unfortunately, this sort of crap happens everywhere but it seems as though this area especially.
If you have children, I'd recommend you immediately depart the Joplin area. If it's not a story related to child porn, it usually involves meth. Not an ideal place to raise a family.
Think about it.
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