Former Phelps County Deputy Sentenced to 65 Years on Child Porn and Destroying Evidence Charges

A former Phelps County sheriff’s deputy is sentenced to 65 years in prison for soliciting and/or receiving sexual acts and child abuse sexual materials from multiple minors and destroying evidence to impede the FBI.

Justin Bradley Durham, of Rolla, had pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis back in October to one count of producing child pornography, two counts of receiving child porn and three counts of destroying records in a federal investigation.

Durham admitted to requesting and receiving a sexually explicit video from a 15-year-old, providing $200 to the victim after she engaged in sex acts with him and engaging in sex acts multiple times with a 17-year-old victim including in his patrol car.

U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp handed down the sentence and also ordered Durham to pay more than $79,000 in restitution to the victims.