CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Erika L. Morton, a former kindergarten teacher from Farmington, Mo., pleaded guilty Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. The 37-year-old admitted to sending illegal images through the Kik Messenger app, according to court documents.

In February 2025, the Missouri State Highway Patrol received a cybertip reporting that a Kik user had uploaded several video files containing images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators traced the account to Morton and interviewed her on June 17, 2025. Morton admitted that she was the Kik user responsible for sending the CSAM and admitted that she used her cell phone to obtain the material while at her home in Ste. Genevieve County, her plea agreement says.

Morton is scheduled to be sentenced in April. The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both prison and a fine.

Morton faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. She is scheduled to be sentenced in April.

The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester. It is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation online by coordinating federal, state and local law enforcement efforts. More information about the project is available at www.justice.gov/psc.

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