Missouri Kindergarten Teacher Admits Possessing Child Pornography
CAPE GIRARDEAU / Wednesday, January 28, 2026 – A former Farmington, Missouri kindergarten teacher on Wednesday admitted possessing and sharing child sexual abuse material.
Erika L. Morton, 37, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of possession of child pornography. She admitted sending child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via the Kik Messenger app.
In February 2025, the Missouri State Highway Patrol received a cybertip reporting that a Kik user had uploaded several video files containing images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators traced the account to Morton and interviewed her on June 17, 2025. Morton admitted that she was the Kik user responsible for sending the CSAM and admitted that she used her cell phone to obtain the material while at her home in Ste. Genevieve County, her plea agreement says.
Morton is scheduled to be sentenced in April. The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both prison and a fine.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Contact
Robert Patrick, Public Affairs Officer, robert.patrick@usdoj.gov.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri
