U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced a St. Charles County man to 140 months (11 years, 8 months) in prison for possession of child pornography and methamphetamine.
The case began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip about child sex abuse material being shared via a Kik Messenger account. A detective with the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force traced the account to Roman Van Stone’s home in O’Fallon, Missouri. A court-approved search of the home revealed two handguns, an AR-15 rifle, and bags containing a total of 68.5 grams of methamphetamine. Child pornography was also found on Van Stone’s iPhone.
Roman Van Stone, now 52, pleaded guilty in April to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department Special Investigations Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman prosecuted the case.