Trial of former Joplin, Webb City police officer on child porn charges placed on May 6 docket

Barring a plea or a continuance, the trial of former Joplin and Webb City police officer Gary McKinney on child pornography charges could take place as soon as May, according to a filing today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for February 26 with the case being placed on the May 6 trial docket.

McKinney, 43, owner of Gary McKinney Plumbing, Joplin, is being held in the Greene County Jail without bond. He was an officer with the Joplin Police Department from 1999 to 2006, and later an officer with the Webb City, and Duquesne police departments.

The Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force were led to McKinney following their investigation and subsequent arrest of Anthony Helsel, 31, Joplin, who allegedly exchanged pornographic files with McKinney.

The probable cause affidavit detailed McKinney and Helsel's alleged crimes: Helsel admitted to investigating officers that he had sent videos of himself with a four-year-old girl to others, including McKinney.

When law enforcement arrived at Helsel's home, he was talking to McKinney, who was going by the name of "Jim Beam" on the KIK application, the affidavit said. Helsel said McKinney sent him a $30 money gram asking for photos of the four-year-old's feet. He also asked for shoes and socks that had been worn by the girl, but he did not want anything that had been laundered.

In exchange for that, McKinney allegedly offered Helsel an opportunity for a sexual encounter with an adult woman. When McKinney and the woman arrived at Helsel's home, the woman declined to have sex with him, the affidavit said.

Helsel gave law enforcement officers permission to assume his KIK identity and began "engaging in chats with Jim Beam." An attempt to arrange a meeting with McKinney that evening was unsuccessful.

A forensic examination of Helsel's phone showed numerous conversations between Helfel and McKinney, according to the affidavit. On October 2, Helsel sent McKinney several files, with two including child pornography.

One included an approximately five-year-old girl engaged in a sex act with a boy, who appeared to be about nine years old.

Joplin Police conducted a search warrant at McKinney's home on South Byers Avenue Wednesday. A forensic examination of McKinney's phone showed a chat dated August 26:

During the chat, the two talked about setting up or finding groups with young children live streaming sexual acts. McKinney talked about having "a few women with little girls." (The other man) asked if they would "live show" and McKinney replied , "Yeah they (have intercourse with) their kids."

McKinney and other man exchanged child pornography images, including photos of a six-year-old, a seven-year-old an "infant or toddler" whose genital area was being graphically displayed by an adult.

The search of the phone uncovered other exchanges of child pornography and discussion about children engaged in sexual activity, according to the probable cause affidavit.