Eldon man pleaded to child porn possession

An Eldon man pleaded guilty to an amended charge in connection with a child pornography investigation in Miller County in August 2017.

During a hearing Tuesday before Miller County Judge Matthew Hamner, Seth James, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He had been charged with first-degree promoting child pornography and three counts of possession of child pornography.

Officials with the Missouri Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control said James was arrested after an investigation with the Miller County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators searched James' residence on Kristy Road in Eldon, where they found child pornography and computer equipment.

Officials from Facebook notified authorities in January that James had sent an image of a nude child to another Facebook account, according to a Highway Patrol probable cause statement.

James initially said he had not sent the image, but he later admitted to doing so and said he thought the girl was 15 instead of 10.

Authorities later found files showing children as young as 10 being raped by adults.