June 19th, 2025 Local News
Ste. Genevieve Co., Mo. (KFMO) - A kindergarten teacher from the Farmington R-7 School District has been arrested and charged with 10 felony counts related to child sexual abuse material, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Authorities say 36-year-old Erika Morton is facing five counts of promoting child sexual abuse material and five counts of possessing child sexual abuse material. A probable cause statement indicates the charges stem from content Morton allegedly shared on the messaging app Kik earlier this year.
Investigators say Morton uploaded five child sexual abuse material videos between January and February during explicit conversations with another user. The chats included references to the ages of the children depicted in the videos, and Morton allegedly acknowledged the victims were underage. She also admitted during an interview with investigators that she received videos from Kik users and forwarded them to others.
Though employed at a public school in St. Francois County, Morton resides in Ste. Genevieve County, and authorities say the videos were uploaded from her home. As a result, the Ste. Genevieve County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is handling the case.
On Wednesday, the Farmington R-7 School District sent a letter to parents confirming that a staff member at Truman Learning Center had been contacted by troopers and voluntarily went in for questioning. The district said they later learned the employee had been arrested and charged.
“At this time, we have no indication from law enforcement that the alleged incidents took place on school grounds or involved any Farmington R-7 students,” the letter stated. The district also confirmed the employee is no longer with the school.
Morton is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. A hearing on a possible bond reduction is set for June 20.
