A Joplin man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Springfield to possessing child pornography.
David Wayne Morgan, 56, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush. Morgan, a registered sex offender, was convicted of statutory sodomy with a 4-year-old victim in 1997.
Under the terms of Thursday’s plea agreement, Morgan will be sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On May 1, 2012, members of the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force, in conjunction with other state and federal law enforcement agencies, conducted a sexual offender registration compliance check. Officers contacted Morgan at his residence.
Morgan led the investigators into his home and immediately began disconnecting various devices from his computer system. Investigators found multiple images of child pornography on the computer.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
Crime & Courts
Sex offender pleads guilty in child-porn case
- Crime & Courts
-
-
Arma mother facing murder charge in sleeping baby’s death
Heather Buckalew fell asleep on a couch with her 4-month-old baby after a night last summer drinking beer with her boyfriend. The boyfriend, Donald Harvey, got up to go to work a few hours later and spotted his son, lying face down on a pillow between the back of the couch and his sleeping mother.
-
Vandals cause $37,000 in damage at Joplin business
A Joplin business owner was the victim of a weekend vandalism spree that resulted in an estimated $37,000 in damages and theft, in addition to putting the company out of service for at least two days.
-
Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
-
Firefighters douse blaze inside wall; no injuries cited
The Joplin Fire Department used thermal-imaging equipment Wednesday night to detect a hidden fire inside a residence.
-
Exeter resident hurt in accident in Barry County
An Exeter resident was injured in a single-vehicle accident at 2:15 p.m. Thursday on Missouri Highway 76, two miles west of Exeter in Barry County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
-
Pittsburg couple arrested; children taken out of home
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A Pittsburg couple was arrested and their three children removed from their care Wednesday when narcotics officers allegedly seized marijuana, methamphetamine and other items in a search of their home.
-
Joplin man arrested on felony charge of past sexual abuse
A 16-year-old girl’s recent disclosures to her mother regarding past sexual abuse has led to the arrest and charging of a Joplin man.
-
Identity-theft victim jailed on culprit’s warrant
Kurt Millard spent most of last weekend in the Jasper County Jail, locked up on another man’s arrest warrant. The 26-year-old Joplin resident could not convince his jailers they had the wrong guy. “I got the run-around the whole weekend,” Millard told the Globe. “I didn’t even get to wish my mother a happy Mother’s Day.”
-
Attorney general files suit against California contractor
Attorney General Chris Koster on Thursday filed a lawsuit against a California man, alleging he failed to provide construction materials and home repair services that had been paid for by victims of the Joplin tornado.
-
Pierce City man hurt in accident in Barry County
A Pierce City man was injured in a single-vehicle accident at 7 a.m. Wednesday on Missouri Highway 248, two miles west of Jenkins in Barry County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
- More Crime & Courts Headlines
-



