Sex Offender Caught in State Park with Children Admits Child Pornography Offense

ST. LOUIS – A sex offender on Thursday admitted being caught with two children in a Missouri state park, triggering an investigation that uncovered child sexual abuse material. Michael E. Barton, 46, of Washington County, admitted in his plea agreement that on Nov. 12, 2023, he was spotted by a Missouri State Park Ranger in Elephant Rocks State Park. The ranger ran Barton’s license plate and learned that he was a sex offender who, by law, is not allowed within 500 feet of a park with a playground. The ranger conducted a traffic stop and spotted two boys, ages 8 and 12, in the car who are not related to Barton. Barton provided the passcode to one of his cellphones, leading the ranger to discover a YouTube account that Barton had not registered and photos of the older boy shirtless. The ranger also found photos of a second phone that included SnapChat conversations with the older boy that included adult pornography. When confronted with the ranger’s findings, Barton ran for his vehicle and grabbed the older boy’s arm but was shocked with a Taser and handcuffed. The ranger found and searched Barton’s second phone, with his consent, and uncovered photos and videos of the older boy, including videos taken with a camera Barton had hidden in his home. Barton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of failure to update the sex offender registry. Barton is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18. The possession charge is punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison and the failure to register charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The Missouri State Park Rangers and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .