October 7th, 2026 Local News
St. Francois Co., Mo. (KFMO) - The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control has announced two St. Francois County arrests as part of its September 2026 investigations into online child exploitation.
The Patrol says its Special Victims Unit and Missouri Digital Forensic Center continue partnering with local law enforcement agencies to investigate and arrest individuals accused of offenses involving children.
In St. Francois County, 32-year-old Walter W. Salts II, of Wortham, was arrested and charged with second-degree sexual trafficking of a child, first-degree promoting child pornography and three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
38-year-old Kristopher W. Kinnard, of Leadwood, was also arrested in St. Francois County. Kinnard was charged with first-degree promoting child pornography and possession of child sexual abuse material.
The Highway Patrol says the Special Victims Unit works with local and state government agencies in efforts to combat online crime and child exploitation. Those partnerships include the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children task force, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National White Collar Crime Center.
The Division of Drug and Crime Control says it remains dedicated to investigating online child exploitation offenses. The Special Victims Unit is partially funded through grants from the Missouri Department of Public Safety State Cyber Crime Grant and Missouri ICAC.
The Highway Patrol encourages people to practice safe and responsible internet use, protect personal and sensitive information, avoid sharing details that could compromise their safety and never meet in person with strangers they have only met online.