Jefferson City couple face federal charges of producing child pornography
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Jefferson City couple was charged in federal court with video recording their sexual assault of a 4-year-old victim.
Paul Emerson Schofield, 33, and Sara Ellen Schofield, 29, each was charged in separate criminal complaints filed in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City. The federal criminal complaints charge the Schofields with using a minor to produce child pornography.
Paul Schofield is a correction officer employed at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaints, Kik, an online social media platform, notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on April 25, 2022, of possible child porn being shared from accounts allegedly connected to Paul Schofield.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Schofield’s residence on June 7. A forensic examiner conducted a preview of Paul Schofield’s cell phone and located several videos of child pornography, including infants engaged in sexual contact with adults. Examiners later found videos on the phone of both Paul and Sara Schofield sexually assaulting an unconscious 4-year-old victim.
On June 9, law enforcement officers executed another search warrant at the Schofield’s residence. Officers seized Sara Schofield’s cell phone, which contained another sexually explicit video of the same 4-year-old victim in which the voices of Paul and Sara Schofield can be heard.
The couple face a minimum of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years and not more than a $250,000 fine if found guilty.