ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis Circuit Court judge issued an arrest warrant last week for a man accused of paying an underage California teen to send him sexually-explicit videos.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s probable cause statement, police received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in December 2023 that led them to suspect John Washburne, 55, was in possession of child pornography.

On Feb. 13, 2024, police executed a search warrant at Washburne’s Central West End apartment. Washburne was arrested for an outstanding warrant in Jefferson County.

Police claim Washburne admitted to viewing child pornography and that he had such material on his phone and home computer, as well as several online accounts. Several devices were seized from the apartment. Investigators found at least 40 videos and nearly 180 images containing child porn on those accounts.

Close

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Breaking News

Washburne also told police he was receiving videos from a minor who lived in Huntington Beach, California.

Police reached out to the girl, who confirmed Washburne’s identity and said she sent him videos between April and August 2023, when she was 15 years old. She said Washburne had promised to pay her.

Police claim to have recovered audio messages on Washburne’s phone in which he acknowledges the victim’s age.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Washburne with second-degree sexual trafficking of a child under the age of 18 and two counts of possession of child pornography.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.