Gaston being held on no bond; has not worked for MPD since August 2024

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

A former police officer was arrested on Dec. 3 and charged with two felonies related to alleged possession of child pornography.

Scott Gaston, 49, of Marionville, who previously worked at the Monett and Aurora police departments over a span of 17 years, is charged in Lawrence County with possession of child pornography, a Class B felony, and second-degree promoting child pornography, a Class D felony. He was arrested on Dec. 2 and is being held in the Lawrence County jail on no bond.

George Daoud, Monett police chief, said the city of Monett is aware of the arrest.

“The City of Monett has been made aware of the arrest of former employee Scott Gaston in a neighboring community the morning of Wednesday, December 3, 2025,” he said. “Gaston served as an Police Officer with the Monett Police Department from July 30, 2012, through August 4, 2024.”

According to a probable cause statement file by Christopher Corbett, a detective with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office also assigned to the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, on Oct. 9, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children transmitted to law enforcement a CyberTip Report from Google created on Sept. 20 identifying a user account that had allegedly uploaded 29 video media files of suspected child pornography to the Google photos infrastructure on or on about Sept. 19 at 2:35 a.m.

The report identified two mobile numbers and an IP address allegedly having been used to access the account shortly before the incident, and the same IP address was previously associated with an internal investigative case, linking the CyberTip Report to an active investigation.

A search within law enforcement databases and other databases revealed Gaston as a suspect.

A sample description of files included three videos: A 1:23 long video depicting an adult male sexually abusing a child, as young as 3 years old, via genitalia contact; a 24-second video depicting sodomy of an infant by an adult male; and a 58-second video depicting oral sodomy of an infant by an adult male.

On Oct. 27, Google responded to a subpoena for subscriber information, allegedly identifying Gaston as the owner of the IP address that uploaded the media. The records provided by Google included subscriber information, recovery information and Google Pay financial data; as well as verified a phone number and residential address and a bank account belonging to Gaston tied to the same phone number and address.

On Nov. 15, Yaana Managed Services responded to a subpoena for Optimum Online allegedly confirming the IP address in question belonged to Gaston at the time of the incident, active at that location since 2004. It also allegedly verified at least one phone number matched the Google account, linking the internet service and Google service records.

On Nov. 19, during surveillance, a vehicle allegedly parked at the residence in question showed to be registered by Gaston’s domestic partner, with Gaston listed as the transfer on death. On Nov. 20, a vehicle registered to Gaston was allegedly observed parked at the residence.

On Dec. 3, members of the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, assisted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at the residence, allegedly occupied by Gaston and another individual whose name is redacted in the probable cause statement, as well as four children approximately 12 years of age and younger. Numerous electronic devices were seized, as well as multiple firearms, significant quantities of ammunition and large amounts of cash, according to the probable cause statement.

Corbett contacted Gaston and conducted an audio-recorded interview beginning at 6:47 a.m., during which Gaston allegedly provided his date of birth, confirmed his telephone number, gave an email address and confirmed he resided at the residence at which the warrant was executed. The statement said Gaston was read his Miranda rights at 6:49 a.m. and agreed to answer preliminary questions.

Under Miranda, Gaston allegedly stated his cellular provider as Verizon, electric provider as Liberty and internet service provider as Suddenlink, now named Optimum Online. Gaston also said he, another adult and four children all have access to the internet. He also allegedly reported that he had provided the wi-fi password to friends and family in the past, though he stated the last time a visitor may have used the wi-fi was “many months” prior.

Gaston went on to say he has a high school education, specialized technical training and completed a police academy. At about 6:54 a.m., after learning the nature of the investigation, Gaston stated, “I am going to invoke my Miranda rights at this time, and I do not want to be involved with this at all.”

Corbett said in the probable cause statement, “The information obtained during the warrant execution and interview corroborates the identifiers contained in the CyberTip Report and related subpoena returns. Gaston was located at the residence associated with IP address, the same address and IP tied to the Google account that uploaded suspected child sexual abuse material. The phone number, residence address, and email address provided by Gaston match or closely match identifiers contained in the Google and Optimum Online records, including the CyberTip Report-related address and subscriber information. The confirmation of Suddenlink as the internet provider is consistent with Optimum Online records showing that the same residence and IP address were active during the CTR incident.”

Corbett also said in the statement he believes Gaston will not appear in court due to having “17 years of prior law enforcement experience, giving him extensive knowledge of investigative procedures, court processes, and the potential consequences of the serious felony charges he is now facing. This level of familiarity increases his ability to evade court obligations and avoid prosecution. The evidence directly linking him to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material, combined with the substantial penalties associated with these offenses, provides a significant incentive for him to flee or refuse to appear if only summoned. These factors create a substantial risk that he will not comply with a criminal summons.”

Corbett added he believes Gaston poses a danger to the community or any other person because, “The defendant’s 17 years in law enforcement give him specialized training, tactical knowledge, and familiarity with firearms that elevate the level of danger he presents. During the search warrant, investigators located multiple firearms, large quantities of ammunition, and significant amounts of cash throughout the residence. Four young children also live in the home, and the criminal conduct under investigation involves the exploitation of minors. The combination of his training, access to weapons, the seriousness of the offenses, and the instability indicated by his recent termination from employment demonstrates that he poses a credible and ongoing threat to the safety of the community and individuals around him.”

Gaston is being held in the Lawrence County Jail on no bond. He has waived arraignment, and as of presstime, a bond hearing was scheduled for Dec. 8 at 9:30 a.m. in the courtroom of Judge Don Trotter.