U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a man from Chesterfield, Missouri to 15 years in prison for taking a 15-year-old from Kansas to Missouri for sex.
John Kenneth Low, 39, will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison.
Low pleaded guilty at the start of the hearing Wednesday to coercion and enticement of a minor, transportation of a minor across state lines with the intent of committing an illegal sex act, and travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Low admitted meeting a 15-year-old Kansas girl on the Omegle app and using the Discord app to communicate with her and successfully encourage her to run away and live with him.
On Jan. 23, 2022, after quizzing the victim about how she would get out of the house without being caught and telling her to erase her phone before she left it behind, Low picked up the victim from a location near her home and took her to his home in Chesterfield.
The girl’s mother contacted local police, who along with the FBI connected her to Low. FBI agents and Chesterfield police found the girl at Low’s apartment. Low had illegal sexual contact with her while she was at the apartment, Low admitted in his plea.
The teen’s mother spoke during the sentencing portion of Wednesday’s hearing, saying, “John Low has ruined our lives.”
The mother said her daughter “was special, sweet, quiet and depressed, which allowed her to be coerced,” adding, “She cannot be a normal teen due to the trauma he caused to this child.”
Low also agreed as part of his plea to forfeit four cell phones, three tablet computers, a laptop, nine hard drives, and storage devices that were seized during the investigation.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Chesterfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
