Joplin man blames meth for his involvement with child pornography

A Joplin man was ordered held without bond following a detention hearing this morning in U. S. District Court in Springfield.

Details of the crimes Robert E. Riggs, 45, allegedly committed were offered in the detention motion filed last week.

The defendant’s illicit acts were discovered after investigators were alerted that the defendant had stored imagery depicting children as young as five years old being sexually abused in his Dropbox account. 

A search warrant was later executed at the defendant’s residence, resulting in the seizure of digital devices later determined to contain thousands of images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. 

The defendant was later interviewed and confessed to downloading child pornography from the Internet to satisfy his sexual desires since he was 18 years old. The defendant further admitted that he directly engaged with other members of the child pornography community and discussed sexually abusing children. 

The defendant has a significant history of drug abuse and blamed his use of methamphetamine for his involvement with child pornography.

According to the indictment, Riggs' alleged crimes took place between January 1, 2020 and May 25, 2022 in Jasper County.

Riggs is awaiting trial in Jasper County Circuit Court on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance stemming from a May 25 arrest by the Duquesne Police Department.