MAPLEWOOD, Mo. – A Maplewood police officer has been suspended without pay and is behind bars amid a child pornography investigation.
The suspect, Cory Younger, is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond at the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton.
Prosecutors charged Younger, 45, with possession of child porn. Court documents allege Younger had more than 700 images of the illicit material on his electronic devices.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Wesley Bell said authorities received a tip from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding Younger’s cellular cloud account.
“These things are happening right here in our backyard, so it’s important if you see something, say something,” Bell said. “To those who are committing these kind of crimes, we are going to get you, and we hope this serves as a deterrent to those who would consider doing these kinds of acts to children.”
Maplewood Police Chief Matt Nighbor confirmed Younger has been with the department since 2006. Police claim Younger confessed to the crime.
Nighbor said the department, “holds our officers to the highest standards of ethics and integrity and believes that all members of the department must abide by the law enforcement code of ethics in both our professional and personal lives. we take allegations very seriously.”
Bell reiterated that no one is above the law.
“If you commit these types of crimes, you are going to be prosecuted, regardless of your position,“ he said.
