FARMINGTON – The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control announces the following arrest, as the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Division of Drug and Crime Control’s Digital Forensics Investigative Unit.
On Thursday, January 5, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence of Jacob Ryan Sutton, 22, on Westmount Drive in Farmington, Missouri. As a result of their search, investigators seized child pornography and electronic devices. Sutton was arrested for promotion of child pornography and transported to the St. Francois County Jail. The St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged Sutton with one count of promotion of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Sutton is being held at the St. Francois County Jail, with a bond of $50,000.
The Division of Drug and Crime Control encourages internet users to promptly report to the Patrol or local law enforcement anyone who attempts to engage in unwanted, inappropriate, or sexualized communications with children. The Digital Forensics Investigative Unit is partially funded by the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The above charges are mere accusation and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of these charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.