WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — A U.S. district judge sentenced a Webster Groves man to more than three decades in prison for allegedly producing child sex abuse material involving one pre-teen and two other children.
The judge sentenced 38-year-old Aaron Pratt of Webster Groves to 35 years in prison for recording child sex abuse material of one pre-teen and two other children, according to a St. Louis-based U.S. Attorney's Office press release.
Pratt pleaded guilty in January to one count of production of child sex abuse material and one count of receiving it. He admitted to sexually abusing a girl for about two years in Missouri when she was between 10 and 12 years old. He recorded the abuse on his cell phone, according to court documents. He also admitted to sexually abusing two other girls, a 7 and 11-year-old, at their home in another state.
In addition to admitting to the sexual abuse of those three victims, he told investigators he had more than 28,000 child sex abuse images and videos on multiple electronic devices.
The Webster Groves Police Department, St. Louis County Police Department, FBI and the Hamilton Township in Ohio Police Department investigated the case.
Resources for child abuse victims:
- Call the 24-hour Child Abuse Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873) if you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.
- If you suspect child abuse, call the Missouri Hotline number at 1-800-392-3738. The team is available to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are hearing or speech impaired, call Relay Missouri at 1-800-735-2466 (voice) or 1-800-735-2966 (text).
- If you are mandated by law to report child abuse and neglect, you can make a report online here.
- To report a crime to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, visit their CyberTipline online.
