ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A Missouri man is facing criminal charges after he used X, formerly known as Twitter, to find and download three videos depicting child sexual assault, according to court records.
Dylan Scott Hemelstrand, a 20-year-old resident of Wentzville, also told others on X that he 'had sex' with minors, the court records said. As of Saturday morning, there have been no criminal charges issued against him in Missouri for the sexual abuse of a minor.
"Hemelstrand had several chat conversations on his device and X Corp. account discussing frequently having sex with underage females while either babysitting them or tutoring them," court records said.
The St. Charles County man was very active with his church and worked with their youth group, his mother told investigators.
"Hemelstrand used his mobile device to access X Corp from his personal account/email address at his residence in St. Charles County to acquire the child sexual abuse material (CSAM)," the court records said. "A search warrant was executed at Hemelstrand's residence wherein Hemelstrand was home at the time of execution. Hemelstrand had his mobile device in his possession."
A cyber tip alerted police about two CSAM videos that Hemelstrand had downloaded, but investigators found a third, the court records said. All three videos depict the sexual assault of children.
"Hemelstrand did not openly take responsibility for possessing the CSAM despite having personal images of himself amongst the CSAM," the court records said.
Hemelstrand's bond was set at $200,000. The court also ordered him not to use social media and not to have contact with anyone 18 or younger.
An arrest warrant for Hemelstrand was issued on Oct. 22, but court records say he had possession of the CSAM in March.
Court records did not say if Hemelstrand was in custody.
Children who are victims of sexual assault can find help at a number of institutions in the St. Charles County area, including The Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri.
Accredited by the National Children's Alliance, The Child Advocacy Center is a nonprofit the following counties: St. Charles, Lincoln, Warren, Montgomery, Pike, Ralls, Marion, Monroe, Shelby, Lewis, Clark, Knox, Scotland, and Schuyler.
The center's main office is in Wentzville, but there are locations in Hannibal and Memphis. Learn more about The Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri by visiting their website at https://www.cacnemo.org/
Bridgeway Sexual Assault Center is another resource for victims of sexual assault. The services the center provides include crisis intervention, emergency assistance, domestic violence shelters, and counseling. Learn more about the Bridgeway Sexual Assault Center here.
