ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – A former Boy Scout leader is in federal custody Monday after police tracked child pornography to his laptop.
Michael Ray Goeller, 45, of St. Joseph was charged with distribution of child porn over the Internet in a sealed indictment on Friday. The indictment was made public Monday following Goeller’s arrest.
According to court documents, the investigation began in February when an Arkansas law enforcement online covert officer downloaded a video showing a young girl involved in sexual conduct. The video was tracked back to Goeller’s IP address.
Earlier this week, officers executed a federal search warrant at Goeller’s home in St. Joseph. Inside the home, they found Goeller’s 12-year-old daughter asleep on the couch next to the laptop he used to view and share child porn.
Court documents say after the search warrant was executed, Goeller visited a local priest and confessed to having child porn on his computer.
That same day, he resigned his position as an assistant scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America.
Goeller remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing later this week.
