1. Boy Scout leader arrested after soliciting nude photos from troop members

Sheriffs arrested a Boy Scout leader after an investigation found he was operating a Facebook account soliciting nude photographs from minors.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Department arrested 22-year-old Ian F. Burow of Columbia on Thursday after receiving a complaint from the Boy Scouts of America that he was posing as a female and coercing boys between the ages of 14 and 17 to take sexually graphic photographs of themselves and send them via email and text message, according to a news release.

The investigation began in early November when scout officials suspected a Facebook account under the name of Sarah McGee might be one of the summer camp Boy Scout leaders. The Cyber Crimes Task Force ordered a court-ordered search warrant for the Facebook account.

“Teens are very susceptible at this age because they are on the Internet without supervision and they are easy to solicit,” said Andy Anderson, a detective with the Mid-Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Investigators contacted and arrested the suspect at his residence Thursday morning, where pieces of evidence including a computer and cell phone were found.

Further investigation with the found evidence indicates that the suspect, Burow, has been posing as this female for more than a year, soliciting several underage males to engage in sexual acts.

The Boone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged the suspect with the offenses Thursday afternoon. Burow was arrested on suspicion of promoting a sexual performance by a child, sexual exploitation of a minor regarding one minor victim and suspicion of the attempted promotion of sexual performance regarding a second minor victim.

Potential victims have been identified across the state between Sedalia and Hannibal, Mo. The investigation is still in progress and there is not yet a concrete number regarding the quantity of victims involved, according to the news release.

As of Monday, Burow posted his $75,000 bond and is no longer in custody.

“I highly encourage parents to be part of their kids’ social networking site, and monitor their uses,” Tracy Perkins, a detective with the Mid-Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force said. “This case was driven due to teens being persuaded by having ‘mutual friends’ on Facebook. Parents need to be more vigilant with how their kids are using technology when they are not around.”