Noel man released after serving child porn sentence ordered held without bond for probation violation

A Noel man who was on supervised probation after serving several years in federal prison on a charge of possession of child pornography is back behind bars again after a judge ruled he had violated his probation.

Edward S. Hetherington, 63, was ordered held without bond while awaiting a hearing.

When Hetherington was sentenced by U. S. District Judge Beth Phillips to eight years and one month in prison in 2015, a news release from the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri said he had "a massive library of child pornography."

Hetherington pleaded guilty on August 12, 2014. His criminal conduct took place over a period of 25 years, during which time he collected more than 100,000 images of sexual violence against children.

From the U. S. Attorney's 2015 news release:

At the time of his arrest, Hetherington was in possession of a massive amount of child pornography. Law enforcement officers discovered eight external storage hard drives connected to his computer, which were full of images and videos of child pornography. 

Hetherington’s library of child pornography, which dates back as far as 1989, was organized into various categories that described the various acts of violence perpetrated against the children. Based on the evidence obtained, Hetherington possessed one of the largest and most extensive libraries of child pornography ever uncovered by agents with the Southwest Cyber Crimes Task Force.

The case was originally investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Cassville Police Department and the McDonald County Sheriff’s Office.