Missouri Man Caught with Methamphetamine and Child Pornography Sentenced to 140 Months in Prison

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a St. Charles County man caught with child pornography and methamphetamine to 140 months in prison.

The case began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip that someone had been sharing child sex abuse material via a Kik Messenger account. A detective with the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force traced the account to Roman Van Stone’s home in O’Fallon, Missouri. A court approved search of the home revealed two handguns and an AR-15 rifle and bags containing a total of 68.5 grams of meth. He also had child pornography on his iPhone. 

Van Stone, now 52, pleaded guilty in April to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department Special Investigations Unit investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman prosecuted 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.