ST. LOUIS – A former Potosi, Missouri, police officer appeared in federal court on Wednesday to be sentenced on charges tied to child sex trafficking.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Matthew Skaggs, now 40, was indicted in March 2023 and arrested on April 5 in the federal case.
Prosecutors said that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 10, 2022, Skaggs persuaded three minors into engaging in a commercial sex act, solicited a visual depiction of a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and attempted to coerce a minor to engage in sex acts.
He was first arrested in August 2022 in Washington County on charges of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy (with a victim under 14 years old), enticement or attempted enticement of a child, and endangering the welfare of a child. At the time of his arrest, Skaggs was training to become a school resource officer.
Skaggs met the victims through his work as a police officer and he committed the sex acts while on duty or in uniform.
The victims said they were afraid to report Skaggs or refuse his requests. However, one victim told their mother about the sexual abuse, who reported it to law enforcement.
In November 2023, Skaggs pleaded guilty to sex trafficking, solicitation of child pornography, and coercion/enticement of a minor.
At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, the mother of one of the victims read a letter to the judge explaining that Skaggs began grooming her son when he was 12, and her child feared that Skaggs would one day come and take him from home.
The judge ultimately sentenced Skaggs to 25 years in federal prison.
