Former Monett P.D. officer arrested in child porn case

Scott Gaston held without bail in Law. Co.
 
A 17-year law enforcement veteran and a former Monett police officer has been arrested in Lawrence County for alleged possessing and circulating child pornography.
Scott W. Gaston, 49, of Marionville, was arrested on Dec. 3 and faces two felony counts: A Class B felony for “knowingly possessed child pornography that was a visual depiction of a person less than eighteen years of age engaged in sexually explicit conduct, consisting of twenty-nine moving images (videos),” and a Class D felony for having “delivered, transferred, distributed, circulated, or disseminated child pornography consisting of 29 videos that portrays what appears to be a person under the age of 18 years as a participant or observer of sexual conduct.”
Videos involved reportedly included sexual contact with infants.
A Class B felony is punishable by imprisonment of between five and 15 years. A Class D calls for punishment of from one to seven years and a potential $10,000 fine, or both.
Gaston worked as a Monett police officer from July 2012 to August 2024.
His current employment status was not identified.
According to the probable cause statement from Detective Christopher Corbett, Gaston was arrested at his home on Dec. 3 by members of the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, assisted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. Numerous electronic devices were seized for later forensic examination.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, local authorities received a CyberTip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Sept. 20 that identified a specific user account as having uploaded 29 media files, identified as videos, of suspected child sexual abuse material on Sept. 19. The same IP address was previously associated with an internal investigative case, thereby linking the CyberTip Report submission to a known subject of investigation. Google responded to a judicially approved investigative subpoena for subscriber information. Google Pay records identified a bank account, with an address and phone number, connected to the defendant.
Gaston told investigators friends and family, including four children in the house, had access to the Wi-Fi password. Learning the nature of the investigation, he stopped answering questions and was placed under arrest.
The investigator believed Gaston “knowingly and intentionally possessed, uploaded, and distributed suspected child sexual abuse material/child pornography in violation of Missouri and federal law.” The investigation linked Google Photos uploads of suspected child sexual abuse material linked to the email account associated with Gaston, and he “verbally confirmed the same identifiers tied to the illegal upload. These digital records, combined with his statements and the location-based evidence, establish his identity as the individual responsible for the offense,” Corbett stated.
The investigator felt the defendant’s “17 years of law enforcement experience, his extensive knowledge of investigative procedures, court processes, and the potential consequences of the serious felony charges he is now facing, increases his ability to evade court obligations and avoid prosecution.” These “provide a significant incentive for him to flee or refuse to appear [in court].” Corbett argued Gaston posed a danger to the community in part because of his possession of multiple firearms, large quantities of ammunition, and significant amounts of cash at the residence.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 12 before Associate Circuit Judge Don Trotter. At a Dec. 8 hearing, the defendant appeared by video link. The court denied the request for bail reduction. Gaston is being held without bond.