A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper is being charged with five felony counts of invasion of privacy
David L. McKnight, a 39-year-old resident of Sikeston, was apprehended on the evening of Wednesday, August 21, at 8:30 p.m.
He stands accused of pulling over a vehicle and confiscating a woman’s phone, proceeding to transfer the photos from the phone to his own device.
According to the probable cause statement, a forensic examination of McKnight’s personal cell phone discovered copies of deleted images. These images were found to be consistent with McKnight using his personal cell phone to capture pictures of other people’s cell phone screens.
Over 15 images were discovered, revealing individuals, including females, in various states of nudity.
Trooper McKnight was assigned to Zone 7 in 2021, where he serves the residents of Mississippi, New Madrid, and Scott counties.
McKnight contacted these six victims through separate police interactions between September 2023 and April 2024 in Scott and New Madrid counties, according to records and data.
The perpetrator employed a consistent approach to acquire images from these victims.
According to the police, McKnight was in uniform and on-duty during all of the mentioned contacts.
McKnight is accused of committing the crimes on September 12, December 30, and December 31 in 2023, as well as on April 6 and April 27 in 2024. In total, six victims have been identified.
McKnight was on duty and wearing his uniform when the contact occurred, as stated in the probable cause statement. The incident took place within McKnight’s assigned patrol area.
He is currently in custody at the Ste. Genevieve County Jail.