St. James man charged with more than a dozen child pornography crimes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Phelps County Prosecutor's office filed charges Wednesday against a St. James man accused of possessing child pornography.

Raymond Cody Scott, 34, faces 15 total criminal counts - eight counts of promoting child pornography and seven counts of possession of child pornography.

According to a news release form the South Central Missouri Computer Crime Task Force, authorities arrested Scott on March 10 at a home on East James Boulevard in St. James.

The probable cause statement filed in the case said the investigation started in February when more than a dozen tips came to the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The tips came from several tech companies claiming a user of their services had uploaded and shared child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Investigators identified Scott as the user, and said in October 2025 he used an account at his home to offer to trade for CSAM involving minors 8 to 13 years old.

When law enforcement confronted him on Tuesday, Scott reportedly said he knew they were there to talk about "minors" from the internet, according to the release. Scott then invoked his right not to speak further.

At one point, according to court documents, Scott said a phone and laptop used for CSAM had been stolen by a friend, but when questioned, that friend denied any knowledge of the devices or alleged theft.

Scott is being held on $500,000 bond and has a bond hearing scheduled for Friday morning at 8 a.m.