Former Phelps County deputy admits child pornography, sex crimes with minors: DOJ

ST. LOUIS – A former Phelps County Sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty in court Thursday to engaging in sexual activity with two victims under the age of 17 and producing child pornography.

Justin Bradley Durham, 43, of Rolla, admitted to producing child pornography and engaging in sexual intercourse with the victims while working for the sheriff’s department, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Durham also admitted to destroying evidence to hinder the FBI’s investigation.

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As part of his plea agreement, Durham reportedly said he solicited and received a sexually explicit video from a 16-year-old teenager in 2013 and gave the victim $200 after having sexual intercourse with her.

Durham also admitted to having sexual intercourse with the 17-year-old victim in his patrol vehicle and exchanging sexually explicit photos and videos with the victim. Durham met the second victim after his friend contacted police and he also responded to the call.

The FBI interviewed Durham in 2023 after discovering that his PayPal account was used to send money to another account linked to the sale of child pornography. Durham denied purchasing child pornography and said he had not accessed his Dropbox accounts in years.

Durham also refused to have FBI agents search his cell phone, and two days later he destroyed his phone and purchased a new one. Authorities said he deleted approximately 37 gigabytes of data from his Dropbox accounts before deactivating his account.

Prosecutors said the deleted files included hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.

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Durham was terminated by the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department on August 9, 2023, and arrested. Once in jail, Durham told FBI agents that he destroyed his laptop, threw away his cellphone and conducted a “digital footprint scan” of his online accounts.

Durham pleaded guilty in a federal investigation to one count of producing child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography and three counts of destroying records.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 5, 2025. Prosecutors said producing child pornography carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, while being charged with child pornography carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison.

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