Sentencing Soon in Child Pornography Case

(St. Louis, MO) A man from Bonne Terre, 48 year old Tyson Rutledge, will be sentenced August 6th on one count of possession of child pornography after pleading guilty to the charge Friday in United States District Court. A press release from the United States Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Missouri shows July 22, 2019, Rutledge sent a message to an undercover FBI agent participating in a social media chat room. Rutledge and the undercover FBI agent began to talk about children. Rutledge then sent the agent a graphic image showing a minor female.  FBI agents, after securing a federal search warrant, searched Rutledge’s home January 15th. Agents seized a laptop, three iPhones, a DVD, a CD, a HTC cell phone and iPod. During the search, Rutledge was not home, but an FBI agent spoke with him by cellphone and agreed to meet at Rutledge’s place of employment. St. Francois Sheriff’s Department officials participated in a recorded interview with Rutledge. After examining the seized laptop and phones, agents discovered child pornography images and histories for downloads, web searches, website visits and chats concerning the sexual exploitation of children.