Weaubleau Man Charged with Child Porn after Texting Teenage Victim

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Weaubleau, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with producing, receiving and possessing child pornography after exchanging pornographic images with a teenage girl via cell phone.

Larry Allison, 49, of Weaubleau, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo. Allison remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, Springfield police officers were contacted by the victim’s mother on Jan. 9, 2014, to report an incident that occurred earlier that day. The mother had observed another daughter walking home from school when Allison pulled up to her in his car and stopped. Allison apparently mistook the younger daughter for her sister, identified in the affidavit as “Minor Victim” (MV). The mother went to the victim’s school, located MV, and took her cell phone. She found several text messages and photos allegedly sent between MV and Allison.

The text messaging, which started on Jan. 4, 2014, became sexual in nature, according to the affidavit. Allison allegedly sent MV a nude photo of himself and asked her to send nude photos of herself to him, which she did.

A Springfield detective, portraying herself as MV, began texting Allison. Allison allegedly asked her sexual questions, invited her to come live with him, and suggested that she perform oral sex on his horse.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Allison’s residence on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014. Officers questioned Allison about the text messages and the photos and placed him under arrest.

Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the FBI and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."